The holiday season is among us, and if you're like me, you hate shopping for gifts. I honestly hate leaving the house during these upcoming weeks. Gift shopping is hard, what may be a hot item now, might not be by the time your loved one opens their gift at Christmas. That being said, I rely a lot on holiday gift idea lists. So much so, that I thought that I would put a list together for you guys. Some of the items on this list will be things that I already own and some will be things that I really want. I hope that the wife reads this because it's kind of like my holiday wish list. While I'll have a numerical number beside each of the items, I'm definitely not ranking them.
These first few items are from
HopCloth, followed by a couple things I've found online. After those you will see some items that I'm really diggin' from
Bullets2Bandages,
Brewer Shirts,
Beer Cap Maps and
Craft Loyal.
1.
Beer From Here Shirt - $20.00
I was really excited when I saw that they had finally made an Alabama version of this shirt. I watched, jealously, every time they would add a new state. Then, everything was right with the world when mine arrived in the mail. If you see me out and about, I'll probably be wearing this one. I was looking at their page and I noticed that they now offer this shirt in crimson. So while the original is offered in dark blue (Auburn color), you Bama fans can now rep your team as well. I will say this though, unless you are a person who takes pride in your physique, I'd go up a size when you order.
2.
Hop Culture "The Share" Craft Beer Snifter - $7.00
If you follow my social media pages, you've seen this one... many, many, many times. I absolutely love this glass. The 13oz capacity is a prefect fit for your 12oz singles, but wait, there's more! On the side of the glass you'll find that the container is graded in 2oz increments. When sharing a beer with a buddy or two, this is actually pretty handy.
3.
Homebrewed Onesie - $18.00
This was actually the first item I ever purchased for our new baby. As soon as my wife told me that she was pregnant, I got online and ordered this bad boy! I don't know how much this would be a good gift for a child, but if you have some craft beer friends who might be expecting, this thing is great. Another cool thing about it is the HopCloth logo on the butt. Again, if you follow my Instagram page, you've seen my kid wearing this one.
4.
Craft Beer Is Dead Shirt - $20.00
I don't own this one...yet. The simplicity of this shirt is amazing. The four little words on the chest are sure to strike up conversation in any Craft Beer bar or brewery. For Jeff, the message can be taken in a couple different ways. You can take it as a sarcastic gesture, implying that Craft Beer is far from dead. Breweries are popping up in almost every city in the U.S. that has a traffic light. The other way you could take it, is that Craft Beer is dead. Too often we see that a brewery has sold out to "Big Beer". In some people's eyes, the whole concept of being "Craft" is becoming tarnished by all of the corporate acquisitions.
5.
How To Brew by John Palmer - $19.95
Most Craft Beer fans have toyed with the idea of making their own beer. Beer, especially the good
stuff can be expensive, so the thought of just making your own is pretty tantalizing. Hell, after all, beer is just the combination of four main ingredients right? Not so much. This book is thought of as being, well, the homebrew bible. It's packed will tons of step-by-step instructions on each process involved in brewing beer. While it does have a lot of information in it, the book is structured very well, and actually, is pretty fun to read. Check out Amazon if you're interested in this one, they normally have it for cheaper than the list price.
6.
Spiegelau Craft Beer Tasting Kit - $39.20
Believe it or not, glassware does make a difference in the overall enjoyment of Craft Beer. To a true beer snob, the vessel that their beverage is served in, is just as important as what's inside the glass. These glassed are designed specifically for the recommended style of beer. This kit includes one IPA, one stout, and one American Wheat-Witbier glass. I haven't noticed any difference in the flavor of my beer when I use these, but the aromas are definitely more pronounced. The only complaint I have about these, is that they are very thin. I'm almost afraid to use them and my beer warms up pretty quick if I'm holding it in my hand for a long period of time. All-in-all though, they are great additions to anyone's beer glass cabinet.
When it comes to home brewing, this 1 gallon kit is what got me started. A couple years ago, I found
this underneath the Christmas tree. We started with the Oatmeal Stout kit, making what we called "Grandpa Joes Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Stout". Now, this kit comes with almost everything you need to brew your first batch of beer, but you will need a couple pots that are not included. You could probably piece together your own kit, from your home brew shop, but you really wouldn't save much money. Now, 1 gallon batches in my opinion are an inefficient way to brew, but you've got to start somewhere. This kit is an inexpensive way to "test the waters".
8.
Bullet Bottle Opener - $17.99 & UP
Bullets2Bandages have come up with a simple way for Craft Beer lovers to share their support for our veterans. B2B was founded by two veterans as a way to say "Thank You" to all of the soldiers who have fought tor our freedom. A bottle opener made from the shell of a .50 caliber bullet. They have created these products, that were once used for war, but now symbolize
pride, gratitude, and healing. Not only that, these elegant pieces can be customized in a number of ways. Another awesome thing about these guys, they donate at least 15% of profit to charity. Their
50 cal bottle opener is obviously their flagship product, but check out their website, there's a whole lot more!
9.
Beer Cap Maps - $39.00 to $75.00
These might be the things that are on the top of my wish list. I stumbled across
Beer Cap Maps a few months ago and instantly fell in love. I've been collecting beer caps for a long time, but never really knew what to do with them. Well, that has all changed. The maps are cut out of high quality plywood and have holes cut that snugly hold each of the beer caps. There is also a logo on each map representing the State/Country capital. While the pictures are of the
US and Alabama only, they do carry many different countries and all 50 US States.
10. More Craft Beer Apparel - $18.00 & UP
Shirts, jackets, hoodies, tank tops... you can't go wrong. People love expressing their love of Craft Beer by wearing Craft Beer themed apparel.
Craft Loyal and
Brewer Shirts were a couple of the first Instagram pages that I followed when I started Bham Beer Buzz, and their designs are getting more kick ass everyday! Both of these guys do more than just shirts too. Definitely check out their pages to find more awesome gift ideas including glassware, bottle openers and other Craft Beer themed swag!
These are just a few things that I'm really liking this year. Holiday shopping is tough, and beer snobs make it even harder. If none of these item seem like something you're interested in, remember, gift cards are always a good idea. Visit your local Home Brew Shop or Craft Beer store and pick one up. Happy Holidays to all of you guys, CHEERS!
Shirts, jackets, hoodies, tank tops... you can't go wrong. People love expressing their love of Craft Beer by wearing Craft Beer themed apparel. Craft Loyal and Brewer Shirts were a couple of the first Instagram pages that I followed when I started Bham Beer Buzz, and their designs are getting more kick ass everyday! Both of these guys do more than just shirts too. Definitely check out their pages to find more awesome gift ideas including glassware, bottle openers and other Craft Beer themed swag!