IF YOU are into craft beer, you are instantly a great help to anyone wondering what to buy you for Christmas. Gifts for beer lovers are easy to come by, right? It’s a doddle, you like beer, you’ll get a beer-related gift. Great.
However, the problem is that while you know your DIPAs from your NE IPAs and your impy stouts from your wee heavys, the person buying your gift for you might not.
Well, help is at hand. To make sure they get it right, cut this out (bit harder to do if you’re reading it online) and casually leave it lying somewhere they will see it.
This is a foolproof guide to buying a Christmas gift for a beer lover.
First things first: A beer lover loves beer; he/she does not love beer-scented soap or novelty beer socks, they love beer: stick to actual beer. There are many ways you can do this without becoming an overnight expert in all things craft beer.
Many local brewers will be putting together gift sets for Christmas which will include a few of their signature brews and a branded glass. Some will be available from independent off-licences but you can also contact the brewery directly to find out where they are stocked.
If you aren’t sure what particular beer or brewery to plump for, the Vineyard in Belfast do a nice little case every year of their most popular beers of the year. Considering the Vineyard is such as treasure trove of craft beer, their Good Libations box is certain to contain something to keep even the fussiest beer drinker happy.
If you want to give a gift that keeps on giving, you might want to consider a subscription to an online beer club. This is will also ensure a steady flow of varied and well curated beer. All you have to do is stump up the cash and let the experts at Beer52, Flavourly, Beerhawk or Honest Brew do the rest.
If you are looking for more beer brownie points and want to go for something a bit more specialised, try something like BelgiBeer or the Imperial Beer Club.
For the beer lover who wants a more hands-on experience, why not purchase a voucher for a brewery tour? The recent change in the law in the Republic means small, craft breweries are now able to sell their beer on-site so a visit to a tap room makes a great gift for a beer explorer. Or why not pack them off to a brewery for a couple of days with a ticket to the Kinnegar two-day brewing academy in Donegal?
