Did you lose track of the date and find yourself scrambling for a last-minute gift for the beer lovers in your life? That’s understandable. Maybe you were otherwise occupied with your beer advent calendar or embroiled in a time-consuming debate about the appropriateness of certain Christmas songs.
Whatever the case, we have you covered. Here’s our madcap guide to giving the best beer-related holiday gifts.
Timeless beer books, various
At Growler Ontario HQ we have an entire shelf of beer books. Some are good, some are great, but only a handful are exceptional enough to last for decades.
You never really go wrong with one of Michael Jackson’s classics; Pete Brown is funny, relatable and immensely informative; and Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer should be the foundation every beer library.
And there are also new beer books out this season, including Beer at My Table by a local chef, Tonia Wilson.
Get roadie ready, $22.99
There were whispers during Toronto’s mayoral election campaign that legal weed might finally be the nudge lawmakers need to legalize park beers. (After all, if you can smoke up in Trin-Bellwoods, why can’t you enjoy a couple tall cans?) Be prepared for this eventuality with a good travel tumbler like this one from Homitt, which actually fits a proper pint. Opaque stainless steel is pretty much the most beer-friendly material.
Ontario beer cap map, $37
At various times, I’ve had large jars of bottle caps and grand plans to use them decoratively. Cut from birch plywood by a local company in Burlington, this map is the solution.
Beer diary, $5
We all mean to be more diligent about keeping a beer-tasting journal, right? Well, my favourite for this resolution is the one from 33 Books because it has a flavour wheel for visually representing your tasting notes.
Subscribe to The Growler, $18.99
Finally, what is a gift guide without a tiny bit of self-promotion? This week (before December 14) is your last chance to order a subscription to The Growler and have our latest issue delivered before the holiday break. In our web store, we also have plenty of nifty merch that would make great gifts. TKfirstissue
