BEER GIFT GUIDE: 33 UNIQUE BEER GIFT IDEAS FOR THE 2019 HOLIDAY SEASON

Hi brew crew,

Worried what to get the beer lover in your life this holiday season? Have no fear! We’ve compiled a wide-ranging list of our favorite beer gifts to amaze hopheads and lager drinkers alike.

These 33 gift ideas include products such as games, openers, grooming,  glassware, books, and other beer-centric trinkets. With most costing less than $50, you should be able to cover everyone on your list, no matter how naughty or nice they’ve been.

1. Rustic Beer Flight Serving Set

This rustic wooden beer flight service set comes with the wooding holder and tasting glasses. $27.99. Link.

2. Year of Good Beer Page-A-Day Calendar 2020

From beer trivia, to history, to expert recommendations, this daily page-a-day desk calendar offers something for every beer lover. $9.96. Link.

3. Sudski Shower Beer Holder

Shower beers! You now can enjoy them without worry about knocking them over. No suction cups, adhesives or wall mounts are needed. $14.99. Link. 

4. Unlabelled (the Game)

For the experts, this game tests your tasting knowledge. Great for budding Cicerones or self-proclaimed beer snobs. $29.99. Link.

5. Beer Cap Collector Shadow Box

This creative piece will allow you to show off a ton of your craft beer bottle caps. $39.99. Link.

6. Home Brew Journal

Perfect for the homebrewer in your life. Not only is this a beautifully-crafted journal, but it also contains useful things for the hobbyist including hops charts, yeast strain charts, and conversion tables. $28. Link.

7. Mini Beer Pong Game

Friends can relive their college days playing this miniature version of the popular drinking game. Maybe perfect for the office? But don’t quote us on that. $29.99. Link.

8. Reusable Bottle Caps

You probably know that you can buy wine stoppers to save bottles of wine (and protect your liver), but did you know that you can do the same with beer? Think about that next time you open your specialty bomber of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout. $8.01 for a set of six. Link.

9. Gift Certificate to a Chicago Beer Experience Beer Tour

We are admittedly biased and partial to our gift certificates to our beer tours, which are perfect for craft beer lovers, Chicago lovers, or for those pesky friends and family members who seemingly have everything! Recipients will enjoy Chicago history while sampling a variety of the some of the best craft beers the city has to offer. These gift certificates are redeemable for any of our tours and never expire. Click here to purchase.

10. Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business by Josh Noel

Josh Noel, the most notable beer writer in Chicago, describes how Goose Island went from craft beer start-up and darling to takeover target from Anheuser-Busch InBev. $14.91 paperback. Link.

11. Toilet Paper Drink Holder

This toilet paper holder doubles as a beer and wine holder. Also great for a white elephant party. $18.99. Link.

12. Craft beer-scented candles

These candles impart scents inspired by porters, stouts, and even an IPA.  $19.99. Link.

13. Yeti Rambler Colster Beer Can / Bottle Chiller

Yeti is the name of the game when keeping drinks cold. Their Rambler Colster can keep craft beer cans and bottles cold for a very long time. $24.99. Link. 

14. Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink by Randy Mosher

This is our favorite basic beer book; the one that we use to help train guides giving our tours. It provides the basics behind making beer, tasting beer, and beer styles, and delves deeper in appropriate places while maintaining an easy-to-understand, enjoyable tone. The newer second edition provides some nice updates. $13.99 paperback. Link.

15. Bottle Opener Ring

You might have seen Bruce wear this ring while leading a beer tour (he is truly “married to the bottle”). A simple Google search provides a bunch of options, but here is a cheap option from World Market for two different sizes of rings for only $4.99. Link.

16. Hops Christmas Tree Ornament

Filled with Michigan hops picked this year, this ornament will display your love of beer by showing one of the main ingredients in a fun, unique way. Especially great for IPA fans or other hop heads. $17. Link.

17. Hand-Cut State Wood Bottle Opener

If you are looking for something stationary to open those beer bottles that looks classy and cool, you can hang a nice hand cut state wood bottle opener on your wall. Any state is available. $22. Link.

18. Libbey Craft Brew Sampler Clear Beer Glass Set, 6-Piece

Even though the standard pint glasses abound in the U.S., glassware is important when drinking beer. Here is an inexpensive, basic set to cover some of the main styles. $24.95.  Link.

19. 120 Can Mini-Fridge

An excellent way to keep a large craft beer collection separate and well-stocked. And no longer surprise beers in the vegetable crisper. Yes, we know the stock photo has Michelob Ultra. $279.99. Link.

20. Beer Soap

Might as well pair your shampoo with body soap, right? The Beer Soap Company makes over 130 different types of soap made with different varieties of beer. Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “shower beer.” Soap bars start at $7. Link.

21. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Fourth Edition by Charlie Papazian

A lot of people consider this book the “must-have” for any beginning homebrewer, and we agree. Papazian’s comforting writing style makes homebrewing fun and accessible while not shying away from the complexity of the process. $15.47 paperback. Link.

22. Custom bags/corn hole set by Chitown Custom Corn Hole Boards

Winter may be coming…but summer will be here before we know it. Have a Chicago based company help you with a custom cornhole/bags set to get ready to enjoy the sun when it first appears in mid-March.  They can even put in LED hole lights so you can play at night, too. Price varies. Link.

23. Brew-Opoly

You’ve probably seen all of those crazy monopoly variations. Here’s one that adds microbreweries to the mix as a theme. Buy and build your brewery empire and out-compete your friends. Can you be the one to buy Ballast Point? $14.15. Link.

24. Beer Cap Maps

For the craft beer travel enthusiast, these cap maps are really cool. A very neat way to display beers that you’ve had from all over the country…or the world. Prices vary. Link.

25. Kegerator

The EdgeStar KC2000SS Full Size Kegerator and Keg Beer Cooler is a very cool turn-key kegerator for people who want to have suds right on tap. Better than trying to convert an old fridge that someone urinated on the side of the road, which is what Bruce and his idiot friends tried in college. $455.05. Link.

26. The Beer Bible by Jeff Alworth

For those of you looking for a more comprehensive take on beer styles and the basics, this book should do it. It still maintains accessibility, too. $13.37 paperback. Link.

27. Ultimate Beer Paddles

For a more modern look, these beer paddles are acrylic and claim to be more durable and easier to clean than other designs. $19.99. Link.

28. Beer Shampoo

With Bröö hair products made with beer. You can wash and condition your hair with craft beer. Not really much left to say here. $9 per bottle. Link.

29. Custom beer pong table by Chippewa Five

Chicago startup Chippewa Five, or C5 for short, makes high-end custom beer pong tables. Now, you can play over the age of 30…and perhaps feel a little less guilty about it. Tables start at the grown-up price of $379. Link.

30. Thinking and Drinking

This card game will foster conversation by asking questions, which will undoubtedly be more fun the more beer you drink. It also features breweries on each card. Complete set for $30. Link.

31. Gift baskets…with beer

We think it beats jams and fruitcakes. While you can find various ones, we like the ones that include beer from the Bro Basket. Make sure they can ship alcohol to your state (beer is acceptable in Illinois). Prices vary. Link.

32. Cicerone Certification Gift Certificate

Started by Chicagoan Randy Mosher in 2007, the Cicerone program is becoming the definitive beer certification program. For the beer industry professional or enthusiast in your family or group of friends, you can buy them a gift to the various courses and study materials that they offer. Prices vary. Link.

33. Homebrewing Equipment

Homebrewing is an incredible gateway into craft beer and really deepens and understanding and appreciation into the brewing process. We recommend at least trying it, even if after you then prefer to buy from the pros…like we do.

For those of you looking to get someone into the brewing game, a basic homebrewing kit can be had for between $100-$200. We recommend staying away from the extreme budget options available for under this amount because they often result in some nasty tasting beers and can actually scare people away from the hobby.

Chicago based Brew and Grow provides some awesome options. For example, for equipment, check out some of the basic sets listed at the top of the page here. We think the kits make great gifts, but make sure you purchase the supplemental equipment (brew kettle, bottles, caps, sanitizers, etc.) that they call for. We’ve always found the staff at homebrewing stores friendly and helpful, even for the novice brewer.

For those of you who have friends or family members that already homebrew, a gift certificate may be the best choice, as then they can then choose for themselves what they would like to purchase.

Chicago-based homebrewing stores include:

• Brew & Grow (Avondale in addition to various other suburban Chicago, Illinois, and Wisconsin locations)
• BevArt Brewer and Winemaker Supply (Beverly)
• Gnome Brew (Ravenswood)
• The Pursuit Supply Company (Iviring Park)

We hope these gift ideas are helpful in choosing the right gift for the beer lover that you know! Regardless, from the Chicago Beer Experience family to yours, we wish you a safe, happy, and festive holiday season.

Cheers,

Bruce and the CBE Family

Please note that we have set up affiliate links for the Amazon products at no additional cost to you, but you are more than welcome to search for them independently.