Gift Guide for the Beer Nerd
What do you get the craft beer person in your life for Christmas? You would think that would be an easy question to answer with all of the craft beer and related items available today. In truth it’s much more complicated than that if you’re the kind of person to actually care about the gifts you’re giving. From personal experience in the beer gifting department, I’d like to share some tips on how to navigate your way to a more appropriate and well-received gift.
The first idea many arrive at is “I should buy them a beer.” While this seems appealing given the many options available, if it’s something you’re going into blindly, you should stop right there. For those that have newly discovered the glorious world that is craft beer, the world is their oyster. Sure they’re looking for their pearl, but if you give them a bottle of oyster stout, they might not have reached that point yet and be forever turned off by the style. The best solution is to simply purchase a gift card to a reputable retailer of craft beer and present it with an empty 6pack holder and maybe a suggestion card with picks from a knowledgable employee. Other options include asking about their preferences, empty growlers (refillable glass or plastic containers), and for even more fun: make up a “coupon” and pay for a night out to one of the lovely craft bars in the area for a tasting.
The same logic can be taken in to account for the seasoned craft brew guru. If you want to buy them something fancy or a special release, it’s important to take into consideration that it’s something they actually want.
One of my own experiences is a good example:
We just had two popular brews released in our area and both had a great deal of fanfare surrounding them: Highland’s Cold Mountain and Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Stout. Both are highly sought after and my mother, who has been wanting to get me a gift, doesn’t know the first thing about either of these. This is when her communication skills came in handy and she asked me the key phrase “what do you want?” I flat out told her what it was that I wanted, and if she didn’t have that information, I could have ended up with anything from a 6-pack of Corona to a bottle of Westbrook Mexican Cake. The point I’m trying to make is that you shouldn’t buy a special beer, or any beer in general unless you know it’s something they want.
Those who are well-versed in the world of craft beer are more likely to appreciate you coming to them to teach you about the topic, rather than guessing. I, for one, am always so excited to share my knowledge and to learn from others as well. The gift options for the experienced beer drinker can expand when you know what it is that they want, but stick to the open ended side of things like a high-quality stainless steel growler with a gift card to fill it with.
The next popular gift people arrive to is glassware and things of that nature. Please, DO NOT DO THIS, especially for the knowledgeable craft beer drinker. Pint and tulip glasses are like bunnies, they reproduce - rapidly. Once you get into craft beer, you stumble across take-the-glass or “Pint Night” type promotions quite often. I actually frequently take advantage of these types of promotions, but since I’ve got cabinets full of glasses already, I’m choosey as to what I bring home. If you’re stuck on glassware as gift, perhaps try a taster set instead. Often when we get together with fellow beer drinkers, we tend to bring out the best brews we’ve got. I personally believe it’s true that good beer is better enjoyed with others, so tasting glasses help make that brew share a little further.
Another popular gift that should be discussed is the gift of homebrewing. I knew months ahead of time before I bought my fiancé a homebrewing kit for Father’s Day one year. He had always said that he wanted to get in to it. Luckily, I was already experienced in world of homebrewing so I knew exactly where to begin. But if you’ve got that someone in your life that always expressed that interest and YOU don’t know where to begin, I’ll try to pave the way by saying don’t go the route of a Mr. Beer kit. It’s fun and easy as they say, but in reality, it’s made up of shortcuts and you don’t really learn anything from the process.
Homebrewing is a world of constant learning and I can say that after five plus years of brewing, I still learn something new every single time because it is all about the process. Instead, try what’s called a “small batch”, which are kits that typically include 1 gallon fermentors, and the basic equipment needed for very small scale brewing. It’s a great way to experiment and test the waters of brewing without a large investment. You can purchase these types of kits from various online retailers, especially those that specialize in homebrewing, and even locally in specially stores like The Bottle Shop, in downtown Conway.
Many of these gift ideas, dos and don’ts, are really more about putting thought into your gift giving this holiday season. I feel deeply gratified when the gift I’ve put a lot of thought and care in to putting together is well received. At the end of the day, no one is going to be disappointed by getting some free beer, but they’ll be even happier if it’s a beer they really want!
This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Gift Guide for the Beer Nerd."