Beer: Gift ideas for a Hoppy holidays
Beer drinkers tend to be a laid-back bunch. We don’t want to fool with crack-of-dawn holiday sales or congested parking lots. We’d rather crack open a cold one and complete our holiday shopping with minimal fuss. For expediency’s sake, here are some gift ideas for local beer buffs.
The right glassware separates the fanatical from the merely thirsty in the beer world. Help your favorite hophead increase his or her beer appreciation while also helping to support a deserving nonprofit with New Belgium Brewing’s “Glass That Gives” program. Choose from a pair of either 12- or 16-ounce globe-style goblets, packaged in an attractive gift box, and then choose from among four organizations to support with a $1 donation from each purchase — Water Keeper Alliance, People for Bikes, Organic Farming Research Foundation, or Save the Colorado. The goblets pair especially well with a six-pack of Snow Day Ale, New Belgium’s new winter seasonal (sold separately). newbelgium.com/glassthatgives.aspx.
Chocolate cake infused with stout beer and finished with a malted milk chocolate butter-cream frosting? Yes please. Or maybe you’d prefer a Nut Brown Ale cake. Kim Jakes Cakes, located at 641 S. Broadway in South Boulder, specializes in alcohol-infused cakes that make a great gift or dessert for entertaining your brewing buddies. Bring in your favorite dark beer and the bakers will be happy to use it in one of their recipes, and any cake can be also be decorated to look like a present, complete with a bow made of icing. 303-499-9126, kimandjakescakes.com.
Whether relaxing in your backyard or post-hike at a campsite, kicking back in a hammock with a cold can of beer is one of life’s simple joys. And since Colorado is where the craft-beer-in-a-can revolution began, we have plenty of great canned beers to choose from, including from Oskar Blues, Upslope, Avery and others. Asheville, N.C.-based Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) makes lightweight, packable nylon hammocks that pair well with any these selections. They’re a cinch to set up, durable enough to stand up to many seasons of use, and available in a variety of sizes and colors. eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com.
Sip while you shop at the Sisterhood of the Hop Holiday Bazaar, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Barrel-Aging Cellar at Avery Brewing Co. The brewery will be pouring some tasty beers during this one-stop holiday shopping events, which includes among many local, handmade crafts and products. Many of the items available also support a great cause, such as soups and organic fair-trade coffee from the Women’s Bean Project, and handcrafted jewelry from Bead for Life. averybrewing.com/brewery-calendar
You don’t have to be a homebrewer to join the Boulder-based American Homebrewers Association, but chances are the enthusiasm and support you’ll find on the exclusive AHA Forum will make you want to set up for your first brew. Membership also includes other great perks, including discounts on beer and food at more than 500 pubs across the country; a subscription to Zymurgy, the premiere homebrewing magazine; and the opportunity to purchase tickets for the members-only session at the annual Great American Beer Festival. Place a gift-subscription order by Dec. 15, and you can also choose a free book from among several beer-centric titles. homebrewersassociation.org.
Contact Tom Wilmes at [email protected].
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