What To Buy Brewfus For Christmas

Alternate title:



...But you can still totally buy me these things.

The holiday shopping clusterfuck season is upon us! I'm here to hold your hand and guide you through the land of "what do I buy for the person who loves beer?" Fret not, suckers, The Brewus is here! I'm breaking this down by my own categories I deem useful. So without being too wordy, here we friggin go:

Edit: I did not include prices, because I'd hate to have to account for any fluctuation there might be, or for you being able to find it somewhere cheaper and have me look dumb.

For The Fashion Conscious

BrewerShirts.com
With more than a dozen different craft beer related shirts in stock for both men and women, along with bar towels, and stickers, you are more than likely to find something to get for that difficult pain in the ass beer drinker. They have the best selection, in my humble opinion.














FermentedTees.com
High quality shirts, with clever images, you can't go wrong with Fermented Tees. The ONLY thing that they have going against them is the sheer lack of different designs. But the ones they do have are pretty great.You can read more about them in my review I did for them a few months back.












Etsy.com
A quick search in the "jewelry" section of etsy will show you eleventy-bajillion results. Here, I'll even do the work for you. Click HERE. There is a lot of hit or miss stuff going on here, mostly just re-purposed bottle caps. Which, I'm sorry, for most things just look cheap and shitty and not worth the money they are asking. But, that's not all of them. There are quite a few gems though, which make the digging totally worth it. There was even a ring with hops in it I wanted to get for my wedding. It was pretty bad-ass.

Image from: HooticornCrafts
Image from: Brew Kettle Corner














For The Watcher

Discovery Channels "Brew Masters" (Amazon)
"Sam Calagione, craft beer maestro, and his team at Dogfish Head Brewery travel the world and their own backyard searching for exotic ingredients and discovering ancient techniques to produce beers of astounding originality. They also deal with funky bottles, ruthless timelines, clouds of construction dust even the quest for the right saliva. Sometimes it all comes together, sometimes it all hits the fan. No matter what happens, Sam and team Dogfish Head put it all out there, and have a good time doing it. Be a part of their quest to reclaim beers heart and soul."



Beer Wars (Amazon)
"Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs – Sam and Rhonda – battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch."



"Did you know that Beer was critical to the birth of civilization? Or that it played a crucial role in the building of the pyramids, the founding of America, the industrial revolution, and advancements in medicine. That s right - Beer. Scientists and historians line up to tell the amazing, untold story that puts beer at the center of the human civilization. Until almost modern times, it wasn't just a drink - beer was vital to life. Where water contained deadly bacteria, beer was safe, as the fermentation killed the germs. It was drunk by men, women and children for large period of history, and inspired great moments in human history."


For The Reader

The American Craft Beer Cookbook: 155 Recipes from Your Favorite Brewpubs and Breweries
"There's a revolution going on in the beer world. The food you eat should be just as delicious as the beer you drink and award-winning beer journalist John Holl captures the best of the brewery and brewpub menus in his latest book, The American Craft Beer Cookbook."

I have met the author, John Holl at this years Beer Bloggers Conference. He is a wicked nice guy, who knows what hes talking about. I can't urge you enough to consider this gift for your loved one who enjoys the finer things in life...like reading, food, and beer.


Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer
"Six easy steps to making world-class beer in your kitchen! Beer Craft is your guide to drinking the best beer you’ve ever tasted—by making it yourself. This kitchen manual has everything you need to turn your stove into a small-batch, artisanal brewery. Hone your craft by perfecting the basic beer styles, or go wild with specialty techniques like barrel-aging and brewing with fruit. Beer Craft is the ultimate modern home brewing resource, simple and clear but packed with enough information to satisfy anyone making their first, or four-hundredth, beer."

I have this book. It is definitely way more than just recipes. You stand to learn a lot from this relatively short book


"Yes, great beer can change your life,” writes chef Schuyler Schultz in Beer, Food, and Flavor. Here is your authoritative guide to exploring the diverse array of flavors found in craft beer—and the joys of pairing those flavors with great food to transform everyday meals into culinary events. Armed with the precise tasting techniques and pairing strategies offered inside, participating in the growing craft beer community is now easier than ever."


For The Home Brewer

Brooklyn Brew Shop:
For someone who is interested in starting off brewing their own all grain recipes, and has a semi-serious dedication to it, I can not recommend this enough. You can read about one of my experiences with brewing using this kit earlier this year. I have since done 2 more with varying degrees of success before moving to a bigger set up for my last batch. Their customer service is top notch, and they offer a rotating stock of seasonal recipes. And for the person who wants the best, they offer a membership of sorts with their Brew Club. Every quarter, you get a box with 3 new recipes that are only available to the club members. This makes a great gift. It should be noted that while the box has the grain, and carboy, and tubing and such-Unless you have pots and strainers and such at home, this will require a bit more money to get everything ready. All grain is a lot more work, but well worth it.


Mr. Beer:
I feel like this list wouldn't be complete if I didn't include this. Mr. Beer gets a lot of flak, and I myself haven given it a fair share. But you know what? There is nothing wrong with Mr. Beer (or extract brewing in general) to get someones feet wet with home brewing. In fact, one of my favorite batches I ever brewed was a Mr. Beer recipe. With a seemingly endless amount of recipes, and ready to brew right out of the box (save for a pot) Mr. Beer is a great gift for your novice homebrewer.
I don't know if these are just a 2013 thing or not, but if they are, this will be your last month to get your hands on one of these bad boys. These stove toppers contain everything you need to brew an exact clone of your favorite Flying Dog beer.You know what,it's not even a clone, it is the exact same beer. This months edition happens to be their Gonzo Imperial Porter. Sounds awesome, right? I bet your lovely homebrewer will totally freaking love this.



Most local homebrew shops will have everything a homebrewer could want, be it novice or a 20 year veteran. You can get them everything from tools, to an entire recipe. Or, if you're worried about getting "the wrong thing," you can't go wrong with a gift certificate. For my local folks (Baltimore), I recommend you head to Nepenthe Homebrew. The owners and staff are all knowledgeable, and they have everything under the sun. Not only do they have everything, they offer something that most places don't: Brew On Premises. Which is exactly what it sounds like. I got to do it this past weekend, and It was the best brew day I have ever had in my entire life. You can find out more here. Tell me that wouldn't be one hell of a 
Chrismahanukwanzakah gift. 

With a gift like this, not only are you supporting craft beer, you're also supporting the DIY movement of homebrewing, and you're supporting local business. And science.


For The Pets

Dog Collar with Bottle Opener:
Sure, your dog probably makes you happy, but can he get you a beer? NOPE! And with this, he still cant, but at least now you can make it pull some kind of weight. This particular one is from Flying Dog, but if that's not your style, I'm sure a quick google search will bring you a plethora of results. Here, I'll do the work for you: Click Me!



Bowser Beer:
Beer for your dogs. For seriously. Non-Alcoholic of course, but still. Now you can have a beer with your best friend.



And last but not least, these are MY picks for holiday gift giving,complete with custom coupon codes, JUST FOR YOU!

The Things I Want Super Bad

Beer of the Month Club:
I wrote extensively on this topic a couple of few months ago (here), and it only seemed natural that I include them here, because this gift would be super amazing. A year or beer. Can you imagine the delight you would bear witness to from giving this gift?

There are a couple of new things to make note of though. The first is the Personal Shipment Program (PSP). With the Rare Beer Club, personal members receive an email at the end of the month letting them know what is coming up next month giving you the option of skipping, double down or pick something from a previous month in stock. That's a great option so you're not just getting beer blindly, it gives you a bit of control. The second is you now have the ability to combine the 4 different beer clubs into one custom membership using our Design Your Own Club program. So they might send US craft beers one month, US and imports the next, and The Rare Beer Club another month.

I want it so hard.

The folks over there were kind enough to give me my own custom coupon codes for your shopping enjoyment:

Hip10 - $10.00 off any order

Hip25 - $25.00 of any order of a prepaid 12 month membership




If any craft centric company has blown up lately, it's these guys. Their near iconic Hop Skull logo has been popping up all over Instagram, Twitter and the like. Rightfully so, too, because its super dope. 

Their snifter has to be one of the most popular items I have seen, but with a variety of shirts for both men and women, and hats also, these guys have a lot to offer for your nerdy ass beer geek.

And again, these guys were kind enough to provide me with a custom coupon code, just for you:

BREWFUS10

This will get you 10% off any order apparel or head wear order through 12/31 (the only thing it won't give 10% off of is glassware).



...And that folks, is how to holiday shop for us beer geeks.

4 comments:

  1. I'm a member of the Rare Beer Club. It's seriously one of the best things ever. EVER.

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Yes on this Christmas you can have wonderful craft beer gears at https://www.brewrasa.com

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