Santa certainly looks like a beer drinker — that exquisite pot belly, those rosy cheeks, his tendency to see elves and command flying animals — all manifestations of a beer-loving lifestyle. Like Old St. Nick, we here at CBB like to think of ourselves as beer fans that are similarly jolly, bearded and generous. We even have proof: We took time out of our busy business schedule to go holiday shopping for you. Because we care.
We reached out to a few of our friends in the beer industry, and they kindly sent along these excellent gift ideas for that beer-loving friend, co-worker or family member in your life. It should also be noted that these recommendations also make a great gift for that special CBB editor in your life. From exotic festivals to awkward socks, here are some of the coolest beer-themed gift ideas floating around the internet this 2015 holiday season. Cheers to consumerism!
The future of homebrewing
Magical tabletop brewing machines are officially the thing this Christmas. We especially dig “The Pico” (even though it’s still in pre-order). It’s a fully-automated, computer-tracked and completely customized brewing system that can be used by both homebrewers and production brewers. It brews batches in about two hours. Pros can experiment on new products, while homebrewers can rely on PicoPak recipes. More than 50 craft beer breweries have joined with parent company PicoBrew to create easy ingredient recipe “Paks,” including 21st Amendment, MadTree Brewing and Geaux Brewing. Cost: $599. Where can you buy it? Visit www.picobrew.com.
ManCan keeps beer fresh for weeks (WEEKS!)
Oh growler, you’ve quickly become the dinosaur of beer transport. How can you even show your face in front of the futurism of ManCan? You are banished! Long live the ManCan 128, which holds a full gallon of beer and fits conveniently in the door of the fridge. The stainless steel, keg-style growler alternative is designed with a patented, threaded cap that seals in carbonation and locks out air. In fact, the ManCan 128 boasts it can keep beer brewery-fresh for weeks. Cost: $195. Where can you buy it? Just jump over to www.ManCan.Beer.
Two tickets to paradise (GABF)
True beer pilgrims must one day sojourn to the Shangri-La of GABF. Taking place Oct. 6-8, 2016, in Denver, the merrymaking and mayhem of the Great American Beer Festival brings together brewers and beer nerds alike for competitions, tastings and communing. You can’t actually buy tickets right now (they go on sale in the spring), BUT you can set aside that money, and then book your hotel and travel arrangements. Because hotels will be full way before October. Cost: Prices range by day and session, but expect to pay $80 a ticket. Where can you buy it? Keep your eye on this website as tickets go on sale in the spring.
Hand-dyed silk scarves made from food scraps
From what we’ve gathered in our short studies, women love creativity, responsible action and scarves (that’s as far as we got). That obviously means that Great Lakes Brewing Co. has the perfect gift for the gal pal in your life. “Responsible Food Coordinator” Kathryn Simmons uses the brewpub’s kitchen food scraps to create all-natural dyes, which she uses to create gorgeous, one-of-a-kind silk scarves. It’s a great story and a great present. Cost: $30 each. Where can you buy it? These are available exclusively in the Great Lakes gift shop in Ohio City, Cleveland.
Give the gift of testicles (Beard Pong)
You got a gamer in your crew? Does that gamer have testicles? Well, introduce said baller to Beard Pong’s ping pong balls and products, which combine the world’s love for beards, ping pong, beer pong and preserving the family jewels. The company sells six-packs of premium beer pong/ping pong balls, T-shirts and koozies, with the added benefit of promoting awareness of subjects like testisticular cancer. They even have a social campaign: #BuyAPairSaveAPair. Cost: $50 for the Beard Pong Bundle, which includes a six-pack of balls, T-shirt and koozie. Where can you buy it? Surf over to the site.
Four-pack True Pint gift box
Right now, my kitchen is being renovated for two months. Like some Indiana Jones grail test, my long-time girlfriend (Michelle Hill) made me choose one beer glass to use for the 60-day gulag. I choose the HydroFlask True Pint. It’s easily the best drinking vessel ever created, and I may never use anything else again. The 16-ounce True Pint has a rounded lip that feels like glass and an interior angle that helps release aromas as you drink. Plus, its TempShield Vacuum Insulation locks in temperature to keep any frosty beverage cold while your hand stays warm. Cost: $79.95 for the four-pack. Where can you buy it? Try www.hydroflask.com.
Hop sauce!
Odell Brewing Co.’s hot sauce trio is, for all “intensive” purposes, our new Christmas trinity. In this cool tri-pack there’s IPA Hop Sauce, 90 Shilling Grilling and Easy Street Heat Peach Hot Sauce. These are delicious, hand-crafted recipes made for Odell by Horsetooth Hot Sauce, a local Fort Collins, Colo. company, and each one is made with sweet Odell craft beer, complementing your favorite suds and grub. Cost: $26.97 for the three-pack ($8.99 for individual sauces). Where can you buy it? You can purchase this pack at the brewery in the tap room or on Odell’s online store.
Craft beer-infused chocolate truffles
Beer and chocolate is the decadent combo you’ve been questing your entire life. We’ve found it — in truffle form. Moonstruck Chocolate Co. has created the Oregon Craft Brewers Collection, a truffle assortment, in partnership with four of the state’s founding craft breweries (Deschutes, Full Sail, Rogue and Widmer Brothers). Moonstruck’s artisan chocolatier, Julian Rose, has developed beer bottle-shaped(!) truffles in four craft brew styles: Wheat, Brown, Porter and IPA. These non-alcoholic truffles authentically evoke the rich, nutty sweet, dark, fresh and hoppy flavor profiles associated with great Oregon beer. Cost: The 12-piece collection is $30. Where can you buy it? Click this link!
MadTree Brewing home tasting kit
Gone are the days of crushing beers like Stone Cold Steve Austin. We live in a time of sophisticated craft drinkers, who savor and share beer like a celebratory beverage. Such a drinker might enjoy a MadTree Brewing Co.’s home tasting kit as a holiday gift. Don’t bother pulling out an armful of misfit pints. Instead, adjust your monocle, whistle for Jeeves and have him pull out that 40-ounce Hydroflash growler, custom flight tray and four MadTree tasting glasses. It’s the choice of gentleman drinkers and ladies of grace. Cost: $125. Where can you buy it? Online at madtree.com.
Stone Brewing Xocoveza Tee
Nothing personifies Christmas morning like waking up to a chocolaty, winter-spiced mocha stout (sorry Folgers), but do you know what could make that stout even better? A Stone Brewing Co. Xocoveza Tee. Xocoveza is Stone’s mocha chocolate-spiced stout (a CBB seasonal favorite), and now the yuletide brew has been turned into maybe our favorite ugly-sweater-style T-shirt of the year. It’s apparently super limited, so make sure you buy one for yourself too. It’s a comfy cotton/poly blend tee that’s basically an easy way out of all of those dumb parties the cool kids are hosting these days. Cost: $24. Where can you buy it? Sling over to the website right here.
Click Next below to see more great gift ideas, or you’ll miss the skull koozie flashlight. And you can’t miss that.
A refurbished 5-gallon keg?
Refurbished sounds a little too much like a Scrooge move come Christmas time, but if you’re looking to keep a gift in that ubiquitous $50 range, a refurbished, 5-gallon, ball lock keg from Home Brew Supply.com is a solid gift for a homebrewer. Fully cleaned and pressure tested, these refurbished kegs will save you cash and ensure your friend never has to bottle 5 gallons of beer again. Just keep in mind these kegs have been in the field, so they do have dings and dents, but they’re guaranteed to hold pressure. Cost: $58.95. Where can you buy it? Roll over to the website.
Nothing’s cooler than charity
Great gifts always have that thoughtful factor. Unfortunately, thoughtful is difficult to buy, so we just suggest buying something that supports a charity. Check out SweetWater Brewing Co.’s Healing for the Holidays program. Running through December, SweetWater will give 100 percent of profits from select schwag (like fishing shirts, flies and rods and Hoo-rag bandanas) to Project Healing Waters, a non-profit that aids in the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled U.S. military personal, taking them out on the water for fly fishing and other cathartic activities. We suggest the SweetWater Grizzly Cooler pictured. Cost: $180-$430 (for various sized coolers). Where can you buy it? Surf over to the SweetWater store.
Buckets of rad swag
If you’ve got a friend that loves sports with boards (involving waves, fresh powder or halfpipes), you might need to introduce them to Saint Archer Brewing Co. (a San Diego brewing collective that grew out of a common love of surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding). And by introduction, we mean the Saint Archer Holiday Gift Buckets. Bucket 1: hoodie, T-shirt, hat/beanie, logo pint glass, koozie and (personal favorite) sticker pack. Bucket 2: T-shirt, logo pint glass, koozie, sticker pack and choice of two 22-ounce bottles (Blonde, White, Pale or IPA). Cost:1 — $96; 2 — $45. Where can you buy it? Find both packages at the tasting room in San Diego, and you can buy Bucket 1 online at saintarcherbrewery.com.
The Field Guide to Drinking in America
We are beer adventurers, and each state and commonwealth we conquer always has a peculiar beer law (we’re looking at you, Pennsylvania). That’s why we always carry Niki Ganong’s The Field Guide to Drinking in America. Inspired by a mad pursuit to understand America’s confusing liquor laws, Ganong spent the last three years researching each state’s history with alcohol along with the current laws of the land. The result is a different type of guidebook — one that keeps thirsty travelers informed about how to buy alcohol on the road. Plus, it has colorful illustrations. Cost: $19.99. Where can you buy it? Available where books are sold and Amazon.com.
Membership in the American Homebrewers Association
Hailing all homebrewers, beer lovers, hop heads, barleywinos and brown-nosers. ‘Tis time to take that homebrewing hobby to the next level. We’re talking about joining the brewing community, getting advice, entering competitions and perfecting your craft. We’re talking about joining the American Homebrewers Association, one of the greatest non-profit organizations in the US of A. Give the gift of membership and empower the homebrewers in your life. It will only benefit you in the long run. Cost: The AHA Membership gift card is $43. Where can you buy it? Purchase the gift card right over here.
A skull flashlight koozie
We think the loudly-colored, bizarrely-lit, magnetic Cooler2See koozie line is just fun. What more do you want? This is an outstanding product for the outdoorsy drinker who must walk in the dark and seek out more booze in a shadowy chest of cold craft beer. These drink holders are crafted using closed-cell injection molded polyurethane that provides great insulation. Its base is a flashlight, and it comes with a heavy-duty magnet to stick to magnetic surfaces. It also comes in lots of designs, but the “Big Brain’s Insanity Skull” concept shown above is certainly the most metal. Cost: $14.95-$19.95. Where can you buy it? cooler2see.com.
Heavy-duty caustic cleaners
It’s like the time your dad asked for light bulbs for Christmas. For the brewer who has everything, buy them something practical — like acid cleaner. The cleaning experts at Zep Superior Solutions are running a sanitation product promo through December 31, which is ideal for the hygenic-obsessed brewer on your list (all the good ones are). The special includes one pail of each: FS CIP Cleaner (a heavy-duty caustic CIP cleaner); XT-2002 (a nitric/phosphoric acid cleaner); and Peroxy-Serve 5 (a peracetic acid sanitizer). The gift of cleanliness is priceless, but the cost is: $225. Where can you buy it? E-mail fooddivision@zep.com.
The badass little bottle opener
Bartenders, caterers and beer professionals are constantly opening bottles. Why should these hard-working, beverage pros be relegated to obtuse bottle openers (or worse yet — teeth or eye sockets). Let us introduce you to the GrabOpener ST (code name Steel Tooth). Like the original version, it is designed to remove caps with a simple, quick, one-handed grab. This new Steel Tooth version has a lightweight body with a very long-wearing stainless steel hook, making it ideal for those who open hundreds of bottle per month and want to carry something small. Cost: $30 with 10 percent going to Pencils of Promise to help build schools in Ghana. Where can you buy it? It’s only available through gropener.com.
Founders’ beanie gives total ear coverage
Your head contains your brain, and that brain is important. During the winter months, specifically, that head/brain combo can get exceedingly cold (especially in place like Grand Rapids, Mich.), which is just unproductive. We have a solution: This irresistibly cozy retro pom knit cap from Founders Brewing Co. It has a thick bottom cuff for an adjustable fit and (wait for it…) total ear coverage! Founders Brewing is knit right into the hat for a smooth, low-profile decoration that’s cool year round. See what we did there? Cost: $10.05 (on sale!). Where can you find it? Go to the website right here or visit the company store in Grand Rapids.
Beer socks or beer fridge?
Perhaps you need a White Elephant gift. May chance you’re in a Yankee Swap. Maybe you just need a new stocking to hang wistfully over the hearth. Then we suggest the most eye-bursting feet warmers we’ve seen this chilly season. These beer socks from Victory Brewing Co. have a great price point, they’re fairly funny and they’re actually damn warm. If you’re a big spender looking at Victory Brewing swag, check out the $500 Resist Prohibition Mini Fridge. We love the badass black design, sure to be the envy of every beer drinker on the block. Socks cost: $12. Where can you buy it? Visit the website.
A sixer cooler that you can wear
Throw it over your shoulder. It doesn’t matter if you’re off to fly fish or crest Mount Everest, this long, six-pack called the Cooler Tube from Mountainsmith is ideal for all of those adventures that result in a celebratory sixer. Hell, you could even wear two like bandoleers or use a fully-stuffed tube to fend off bears (probably don’t try that last one). Check out these stats: it has full-length zippered closure; it’s ideal for six packs or tall boy cans; it has a waterproof seam sealed lining; and it has an adjustable shoulder sling for easy carrying. Cost: $21.95. Where can you find it? www.mountainsmith.com.
Holy moley, this list is exhaustive. If you still have the power, click Next below and discover a Swamp Thing pint.
Eat beer via ReGrained bars
The eco-conscious community of craft beer is spreading environmentalism beyond the beer. Take Dan Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz for instance. They started ReGrained, which produces snack bars that feature grain left behind from the brewing process as the main ingredient. The company closes the loop on a brewing waste product by turning spent grain into a delicious, nutritious and sustainable ingredient. Currently, the company is selling two bar types — IPA and Stout — which taste amazing whether you like beer or not. Cost: $24.99 per 12-pack or $5.99 for a sampler. Where can you buy it? ReGrained.com, Amazon.com or Abe’s Market.
Stainless steel Demento pint glass
We delved into the awesomeness that is the Hydroflask True Pint on page one, and this Ale Asylum Demento pint glass is an excellent variant. This is stainless steel pint glass featuring the brewer’s lovably creepy Demento symbol, as well as the Ale Asylum logo. It’s beautifully powder coated with a black matte finish, and its double-walled construction keeps beer cold without freezing your hands off (you’ll need those). Cost: $15 (shipping and taxes included). Where can you buy it? Roll over to the website.
Become a tastemaker with this Dogfish Head beer infuser
There’s a mad scientist in all brewers and beer lovers, which makes devices like this little beer infuser from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery dementedly fun. It’s called the Randall Jr., and this “mini enamel animal” will give you the power to turn any beer into an off-centered infusion. Just twist off the top, add hops, spices, fruit or chilled monkey brains, then fill it with your brew of choice and savor the fruits of your creativity. The new super-thick Randall holds a whopping 16 ounces. Cost: $19.99. Where can you buy it? Hit the website, of course.
The ubiquitous Santa beer with holiday glass
There are precisely one zillion holiday beers you can buy during December, so we’ve made the choice easy. Go classy with a snazzy, wooden-boxed Santa’s Private Reserve bomber with sparkling glassware from Rogue Ales & Spirits. The double hopped red ale is housed in a sweet Santa serigraphed bottle with snowflakes that glisten as much as the fist-pumping Santa on the glass. Cost: It’s $31.99 but can only be shipped to Washington or Oregon. You can buy the beer and glass separately as well. Where can you buy it? On Rogue’s website, rogue.com store.
Exotic English homebrew hops
British hops are definitely different. They’re unique because of that lovely English maritime climate, which means these hops experience warm, but not hot summers and cool, but not cold winters. So what that delivers in a British hop is a lower myrcene level amongst other unique traits and benefits. It’s a unique experience you can gift via nine varieties of Stocks Farm British hops for the homebrewer. We suggest the brand new variety, Jester, which has outstripped all of Stocks Farm’s other varieties with almost five times the sales. All that we ask is that you choose wisely. Cost: $6.87/17.5 ounces @ $30.27. Where can you buy it? Hop over to the website.
A Michigan-exclusive holiday pack
We’d find our way to Michigan if it meant some Short’s Brewing Co. beer for the holidays. The craft brewery, whose motto is “Michigan Only, Michigan Forever,” is celebrating the season with new Short’s and Starcut Ciders Gift Packs exclusively for the Wolverine State (Starcut is Short’s cider brand, btw). Each pack includes two logo can glasses (which are awesome), a bottle opener and two beers (one Soft Parade and one Local’s Light) or ciders (one Pulsar and one Octorock). Cost: Original price is $14.99, but they are retailing for $12.99 throughout the rest of the year. Score. Where can you buy it? The packs can be found at grocery and beverage stores across Michigan, as well as at Short’s Mart, which is down the street from Short’s Pub in Bellaire, Mich.
Beer-minded music from the bard of beer songs
Beer and music have long been drinking buddies. Longtime craft beer promoter Marty Jones has a few songs about it. A co-founder of the Oskar Blues Canned Beer Apocalypse and flag-waver/idea guy for various beer endeavors in Colorado and around the world, Jones is also a longtime music maker with a knack for songs about beer — righteous tunes like “Match Made in Milwaukee” and “One More Beer.” Jones blends rockabilly, honkytonk, roots rock and hillbilly stomp with beer-themed humor and heartbreak. Cost: $1.50 per song. Where can you buy it? Try www.martyjones.net.
A Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery
One must always be mindful of books — for words have the power to change us. So take caution when gifting a book like The Brewers Association’s Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery by Dick Cantwell ($95). You might just propel a friend or family member toward an occupation in the industry of brewing beer. Similarly motivation titles include How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time by John Palmer ($19.95) and Modern Homebrew Recipes by Gordon Strong ($19.95). All are published by Brewers Publications. Cost: Above. Where can you buy it? Click the embedded links above.
