So you need a gift and your drinking buddy loves beer? You’re in luck — beer lovers are pretty easy to shop for. Hell, you could probably get away with some halfway fresh six-pack of their favorite brew. Want something a little more adventurous? Consult the 15 gifts below, which range $5 to $500.
Allagash Beer Soap
There’s a good chance your drinking buddy has heard of Allagash Brewing Company, the Maine producer largely responsible for introducing Americans to Belgian-style beer back in the ’90s. But they probably didn’t know Allagash also makes soap that features its beer as a core ingredient. Put a bar in their stocking and pair it with a couple bottles of White, the brewery’s famous flagship Witbier.
Skratch Labs Anytime Hydration Drink Mix
The only sure-fire way to prevent a hangover is to not drink at all. The next best thing? Proper hydration. This everyday mix from Skratch Labs, a company well-known in the cycling world, should do the trick.
Rastal Teku Glass
The worst thing you can give a craft beer snob: an assorted mix of beer glasses they’ll never use. But if you insist on glassware, it’s hard to go wrong with a stemmed Teku — the same vessel you’ll see in craft beer bars across the country.
Homebrew World
Josh Bernstein, one of the country’s leading beer journalists and a frequent contributor to Gear Patrol, goes behind the scenes with more than 30 homebrewers, bringing readers an inside look at the equipment and techniques responsible for some of the best-tasting beer you won’t find in taprooms or grocery stores.
Yeti Rambler Colster
Okay, let’s not dance around the fact that this is a $25 coozy. But it’s a lot cheaper than a Yeti cooler with the same brand-name guarantee. While you’re at it, get a couple for yourself and you’ll never look back.
Burton Beeracuda
You might be tempted to disregard Burton’s Beeracuda as a novelty item, but it’s perfect for those day hikes where a cooler would be simply too much. It’s made of durable 600D polyester and fits a total of six cans to get you there and back again.
Graf Lantz Square Felt Coasters
Once upon time, coasters weren’t made of paper, but felt, and people used them atop their glasses to keep insects from flying into their glasses. These come from the Los Angeles design firm Graf Lantz and take inspiration from that near-forgotten era inside Bavarian beer halls.
Where to Drink Beer
The latest installment to Phaidon’s “Where Chefs Eat” series has nothing to do with chefs — or food. Instead, it surveys 500 of the world’s most revered brewers, who share their favorite watering holes across the globe.
DropCatch Magnetic Bottle Opener
You and your drinking buddies may have outgrown your college antics, but let’s not forget one universal beer truth: wall-mounted bottle openers are really damn convenient. And this one is magnetic so it keeps your bottle caps from falling on the floor. It holds up to 70, but who’s counting?
Hubs Salted Virginia Peanuts
A lot of foods pair nicely with a cold beer, but there’s just something about a handful of peanuts. These come from Virginia’s oldest continuously family-owned peanut processor. And they’re tasty AF.
Miir Insulated Growler
You’ll come across many mediocre beer growlers out there. Miir’s isn’t one of them. It’s built from 18/8 medical steel and keeps beer cold up to 24 hours. But it’s standout feature is a smartly designed buckle lid that stays when pouring.
The Oxford Companion to Beer
There’s more to beer than most people realize. So no matter how much your buddy thinks they know about beer, we’re guessing they’ll learn something from this book. It’s basically the most definitive reference guide to beer ever, written by 166 of the world’s most prominent beer experts. Oh, and it’s edited by Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery and starts with a forward by Tom Colicchio.
Helinox Chair Zero Camp Chair
Anyone who’s ever woken up at 5:00 a.m. to wait hours in line for beer knows the value of a good camp chair. This one is legit. It’s light and compact, leaving more room in your backpack for, well, the beer.
Hydro Flask Unbound Soft Cooler Pack
Hard coolers are great and all, but for those in need of a little more mobility, soft is the way to go — or, more specifically, Hydro Flask’s Unbound Series. The 22-liter version features backpack straps for ease of carry, YKK Aquaseal zippers and insulation that keeps contents for 48 hours. The best part: it weighs all of three pounds.
Pico Pro
The Pico Pro is the premium version of Pico’s popular entry-level home brewer, the Pico C. Users can brew fresh batches of craft beer in about two hours, though they take about a week until they’re ready to drink. After all, beer, like any fermented food or beverage, is far from instant. But this is as close as it gets.
