Holiday Gift Ideas for the Craft Beer Enthusiast

If you’re like me, last-minute holiday shopping is a fact of life. December 18? Plenty of time! Whether you’re of the last-minute persuasion, or whether you’re still scratching your head wondering what the perfect gift might be for the classy imbiber in your life, Tempest’s annual holiday wish list has you covered. And even if the über-cool DrinkTank growlers are on back order till February, an I.O.U. with a picture of a growler tucked into a stocking might just be your ticket.

Glassware

Time to branch out beyond that old pint glass. You won’t have much difficulty in finding glassware that is deeply rooted in the culture of a particular locale, or that offers enhanced gustatory and aesthetic pleasures. Nothing beats the look of a well-poured Hefeweizen, but for sheer uniqueness rivaled only by the British yard glass and the German boot, here’s my choice: the bulbous Pauwel Kwak glass with its own wooden stand. Brouwerij Bosteels, which brews Pauwel Kwak and markets the accompanying drinking vessel, claims that the apparatus was designed in the nineteenth century by an innkeeper named Pauwel for coachmen who would pass by his inn. The design made it easy to hand the glass to the coachman, who could set the stand securely beside him for the ride. Apocryphal or not, the stories you’ll dig up about the glass are sure to be augmented by more recent stories of you or your friends trying to drink out of the set-up without wearing your beer.

Lebkuchen

For those who like to experiment with food and beer pairings, Lebkuchen from Leckerlee in NYC makes for an ideal dessert that complements the rich, caramelized fruit-accented malt notes of Doppelbocks and barley wines alike. Lebkuchen is a seasonal baked good that originated with the Franconian monks of the Middle Ages. Akin to gingerbread, regional bakers distinguish their wares with honey, aniseed, coriander, cloves, allspice, almonds, or candied fruit. Lebkuchen is a fixture of many a Christkindlmarkt stall across the Germanic countries at this time of year, where it is often served as an accompaniment to mulled wine. The baker behind Leckerlee’s Lebkuchen went straight to the Franconian source for inspiration, spending a year developing her recipe for these tasty Nürnberger Lebkuchen.

Beer Is OK Bottle Opener

You’ve got the glassware now, and some kind soul has given you some fine beer. No doubt, you already have plenty of bottle openers kicking around, but what’s the harm in having one more, especially if it comes in the shape of the State of Oklahoma? And really, how many other U.S. states or Canadian provinces lend their shapes so well to bottle openers? You don’t even have to be from Oklahoma to appreciate the merits of this opener worth its weight in the metal from which it’s crafted.

DrinkTank Stainless Steel Growler

Not only do DrinkTank’s variously-hued growlers look impressive, they are, according to the company, “cast from high quality 18/8 stainless steel and do not sweat due to a double wall vacuum insulation design.” If you’re like me and stuff books and beer into the same backpack, you’ll readily appreciate this feature. You can choose from eleven colours and finishes, and you can even trick out your growler with a CO2-charged Keg Cap that’ll keep your beer fresh for up to five days.

BeerLoved

If you’re still completely stuck, BeerLoved.com stocks a wide range of beer-related goods, apparel, gadgets, and munchies, many of which run in the $20-$50 range. How about a Chillsner by Corksickle to keep your beer cool on those hot summer grilling days? BeerLoved carries plenty of perfect stocking-stuffers in the under-$10 price bracket as well. Raspberry Lambic Caramel Sauce, anyone? Hint: When you try to leave their site, they give you a “second chance” coupon good for 10% off.

And a Few Books

Garrett Oliver. The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food (2003). With so many quality beer offerings to choose from these days, it’s no surprise that craft beer types have begun to pay more attention to pairing the tastes and aromas of beer with what’s on the plate. Brooklyn Brewery maestro, Garrett Oliver, obliges those who want to go well beyond beer and bratwurst, offering up a cornucopia of pairing possibilities in his Brewmaster’s Table. Got a Rodenbach Grand Cru you’d like to feature with dinner? Oliver lets you know why this particular beer complements game, “especially wild wood pigeon and partridge.” No wild wood pigeon in your neighbourhood? No problem. Gamey liver patés will do just fine, as will tangy dishes like ceviche and pickled herring. The Brewmaster’s Table is book to which I return again and again, and not merely for the beer and food pairings. A pleasure to read.

John P. Arnold. Origin and History of Beer and Brewing: From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of Brewing Science and Technology (1911; reprint issued in 2005). For many a craft beer drinker with a casual interest in reading about the liquid in his or her glass, beer writing originated with Michael Jackson, Beer Hunter extraordinaire. Sure, Jackson played an inestimable role at a crucial juncture in combating the host of mass-produced lager that threatened to confine less-popular beer styles to the proverbial dustbin of history. But just as we’ve been drinking beer for eons now, Jackson, too, has his predecessors. John P. Arnold, a one-time student at Chicago’s Wahl-Henius Institute of Fermentology, penned his magisterial Origin and History of Beer and Brewing on the occasion of the institute’s twenty-fifth anniversary. More than a mere overview of scientific developments, Arnold’s work is a cultural history of an order rarely attained in contemporary writing about beer. I stumbled across Origin and History of Beer and Brewing in Cornell’s Rare and Manuscript Collection while doing some research on the pre-Prohibition hop industry in New York State, and was even happier to find that it had been issued as a reprint in 2005. (Don’t be put off by the sole two-star Amazon review of this reprint. The author of the review has clearly failed to grasp the difference between 1911 and 2010.) This gem is a connoisseur’s book –– a history of the brewing industry that is a primary source in its own right. Perfect for the beer-drinking scholar on your list.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

More Tempest Gift Ideas

Gift Ideas for the Craft Beer-Drinking Bookworm

Accoutrements and Provisions for the Classy Imbiber

Images

Pauwel Kwak glass: www.rakuten.com

Lebkuchen tin: https://www.facebook.com/leckerleenyc

Beer Is OK opener: F.D. Hofer

Growler Line: www.drinktanks.com

Chillsner: www.beerloved.com

Arnold’s Origin and History of Beer and Brewing: www.amazon.com

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© 2014 F.D. Hofer and A Tempest in a Tankard. All Rights Reserved.