While gift giving is not mutually exclusive to the December holiday season, it's definitely the time of year where there is a lot more pressure on picking the perfect present for those near and dear to you.
I thought - in the spirit of the season - I'd throw together a rundown of suggestions to help get your brain juices flowing in case you're struggling for ideas or you're not a beer drinker yourself [just shopping for one]. Feel free to share this with the people in your life who know you love your "fancy beers" and tend to gift you the finest beers that Beavertown, Brewdog, Pistonheads, or Camden have to offer (standard caveat of "absolutely no offense meant" as they definitely have their place and I do enjoy some of them myself in the right setting - especially Camden]. While we may enjoy them on the odd occasion, I don't think it's unfair to say that the majority of us are thankful but not as excited as we could be to receive these beer prospects when appear under our tree, in our stockings, or wherever else they may be.
I've broken this down into 5 posts covering different areas to allow for more ease, as some areas will be obvious to some and totally alien to others. With less than 3 weeks to go for shopping, we should waste no more time and get into it, starting with Part 1, a craft beer basic...
BEER
[Bit less creative and more 'To The Point', but well received regardless!]
The obvious starting point is with beer itself. It should go without saying, but if you are in the UK, there are numerous breweries you can order from direct that will ship within the UK for a flat rate (and will typically offer free shipping over a certain value). From their websites, you'll have options to buy things such as single cans, pre-mixed packs, or gift sets made up. Some have snacks with the beers, others have glasses, some have both and some have completely different offerings altogether. Here are some examples of perfectly packaged (and easy to wrap) gift boxes -
Full Circle Brew Co offers gift sets of 3 or 6 cans of your choosing that come in visually appealing [and easy to wrap] boxes.
They also do bigger "Wow" gift sets where you pick 4 beers and get 2 glasses - which works perfectly if you're wanting a gift for a couple who both enjoy beers or one person who is in need of glassware [are you can choose which glasses as well]. Again, it's in an an easy to wrap and nicely displayed gift box [photo pulled directly from FCBC website with their approval].
If beer gift sets in nice packaging is what you're after, Siren Craft Brewery also offer options of 4 x beer with 1 glass or - for £10 - 4 of their 330ml cans with a glass and snack. [Photos pulled from the Siren website with approval and pictures taken by Tim ]
Alternatively - if you're looking for variety (and, again, I can only speak for the UK) - you can go to one of the many, many independent bottle shops who will also offer flat rate shipping with potential for free over a certain £-value spend. If you are confident enough to pick out the beers yourself - happy days! If you're not as confident, many will have the option for a "mystery mixed case". Some are broken down by specific styles and others are totally mixed at random. Those that don't offer this, I would strongly suggest you reach out directly as many owners are happy to offer help and will either work with you or you can leave it up to dealer's choice.
Top Tip : it's always helpful to know what the giftee typically tends to drink if looking for this type of help so the shop can pick out things that are similar and get even the grumpiest Grinch to feel their heart grow 3 sizes upon opening.
I'm not going to list out any specific shops because there are so many good ones out there that I don't want to be stuck picking and choosing. I would, instead, encourage you to google "craft bottle shops near me" (or something to that effect) and support an indie shop local to you!
What I can offer instead is some suggestions for specific Christmas-themed beers for the UK:
The 3 Brew York yearly releases [Nightmare of Brew York 2021, Fairytale of Brew York 2021, & Dreams of Brew York 2021]
Berkshire-based brewery offerings - That's Ruddy Mysterious from Wild Weather, Wet Bandits (thematic in name/label vs. flavour) a collab pale between Phantom Brewing Co & The Hive bottleshop, & the Elusive Brewing collab with Rhythm & Brews podcast Twenty Ferrets in a Red Suit
Black Iris Brewery's Drink Beer Hail Santa, yearly release from Anspach & Hobday The Pfeffernusse Stout, & Jolly Saint Nico from Orbit Beers [which is a take on their standard "Nico"].
And if this is all just too difficult, you can resort back to macro-brewery Camden Town for their Beer 2021 [which is at least unique in the sense of it's a Barrel-Aged Impy Pilsner]. You can grab them from Waitrose if you're waiting until the day before your holiday party and can't find any left of the other suggestions.
I didn't even begin to scratch the surface with beers but I also don't think it's necessary as this seems like the most straightforward gift option. For part 2, we'll take it one step further and cover all barware and nothing but the barware to go with the bevvy picks...
**Please note that I was not approached or offered anything above in trade for being mentioned. This is all just based on personal experience and what I - myself - have bought or would recommend.**
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