Giving beer for Christmas

It’s that time of year again, the trees are up, the mince pies are out and it is time to get on with the Christmas shopping.

Christmas is a time for giving and receiving. It’s also a time when people enjoy a drink, so naturally many people choose to gift beer to their loved ones.

As someone that has received beer and beer related gifts for my entire adult life and has spent many a December selling beer to fraught shoppers, I believe that Christmas beer gifts are a festive minefield. Without proper consideration it is more likely that beer gifts will miss the mark, than be a genuine hit when unwrapped. The world of beer is big and complicated to those outside of it, probably more so than they realise.

But fear not intimidated shoppers, for below I have compiled my best advice for how to ensure that your chosen gift has the beer lover in your life saying a heartfelt “cheers” on Christmas morning, rather than straining out a “thank you” through a fixed grin. If any of the below points seem obvious to you then congratulations, you are already thinking more about beer gifts than many other people do. Maybe print this article out and leave it someone for your well-meaning relatives to discover.

Find out what sort of beer they like.

No one likes all beer. It is hard to pin down exactly how many different beer styles there are in the world, but The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) identifies more than 80. Whilst some of these might be hard to find (you are unlikely to unknowingly purchase your loved one a lichtenheiner, for example) a good beer vendor may stock several dozen different styles. Even an unfussy drinker will not like all of it universally. If possible, find out what sorts of beer they enjoy drinking and take that into consideration. The giving of gifts is not the time to try and expand horizons. If they like pale ales and IPAs don’t get them a stout because it’s something different. Get them pale ales or IPA.

If finding out this information is too difficult than an alternative strategy would be to find out if there is a particular type of food they love and then find a beer that will work well with that food. Being able to say “I know you love Mexican food and this beer is meant to work really well with spicy tacos” for example, shows real thought and consideration and is likely to go down well.

2. Support local and independent.

There are around 1600 breweries in the UK at present. Across all the major supermarket chains in the UK combined maybe ten percent of these are represented at most. Supermarkets may offer the best value, but they will never offer the best choice or the freshest quality. Instead opt to buy beers from independent breweries, either direct from the brewery or from a local bottle shop.

Bottle shops offer carefully curated ranges and genuine passion and expertise in assisting you. Go into any bottle shop, tell the staff your budget and the answer to the first point on this list, and you’ll come out with a perfect present every time. What’s more, your money is directly benefiting the local economy and real people, rather than faceless corporations.

3. Gift cards- let them pick!

If points one and two sound too daunting, then simply buy them a gift card from a local bottle shop, brewery or online retailer so they can pick their own. Any budding beer geek will be itching to spend it as soon as possible.

Many pubs now offer gift cards too, this is a great alternative if they prefer drinking out, to at home, and they have a great beer pub near to where they live. Even if gift cards aren’t advertised, reach out and ask the publican, they may be able to arrange a bespoke solution. If one isn’t possible then simply give them a card with “IOU a night down the pub on me” written inside and take them out for a session in the new year.

4. One great bottle is better than a dozen poor choices.

More beer isn’t always better. A budget of £20 might buy eight to ten bottles or cans in a supermarket. The same budget might do three to six in an independent bottle shop. Picking less, but picking better will yield more favourable results than twice as many beers they are half as happy to drink.

Lots of breweries use this time of year to release big bottles of limited editions, strong brews. One sharing size bottle of an unexpected rarity can be a great present and conversation piece. You haven’t bought them just one beer, you’ve bought them an occasion and experience.

5. Check best before dates

Always! This is increasingly important the earlier you buy your presents. For most styles shelf life is three to twelve months from packaging. Giving a great beer that went past its best before on November 30th and hadn’t been spotted by the staff, or you, is never a good look. If you’re lucky the gift receiver won’t notice, if you’re unlucky they will think you’ve been rummaging through the discount bin. None one likes a cheapskate, real or not.

6. Consider experiences over liquid.

As our world fills up with more and more stuff, the giving of experiences over physical goods is becoming increasingly popular. This is no different for beer gifts. Tickets to a brewery tour, a pub tour, a tutored tasting session, or a brew your own beer day, will always go down well. Suggest they book the event in January or February, when life is normally a bit boring and bleak. Having something to look forward to is always beneficial that time of year.

If you can afford to, consider giving an extra ticket, so that they can invite a friend, rather than doing the experience solo. If you’re lucky you could end up being the plus one.

7. How about a book?

There is so much to learn about beer and there are so many writers exploring different aspects of this right now. Giving a book shows that you understand that their interest in beer goes simply beyond just getting drunk. It gives them something to read with a pint and they might learn something.

As a starting point look up books by the following authors: Pete Brown, Jonny Garrett, Adrian Tierney-Jones, Laura Hadland, Melissa Cole, Matthew Curtis, Christina Wade, and Mark Dredge.

8. Avoid ‘novelty’ gifts

The world is drowning in tat. There is a very good chance that your family beer nerd already has a favourite bottle opener, and a novelty Santa one probably isn’t going to surpass it. Novelty glassware, beer goggles, beer t shirts, ‘thirst aid’ hats (the list goes on) are all going to be short lived jokes. All this stuff will be used once in front of you, then be in the draw by Boxing Day and in the bin by Easter. Brewery merchandise is more likely to be a successful choice, particularly if they already have an affinity to that brand, but it is always advisable to buy some actual beer to go along with merchandise.

9. Refrigeration?

If you are hosting Christmas at your house, and are buying beer as a present, it is worthwhile thinking about temperature. The gift receiver may want to drink the gift that day. Once wrapped, keep the present somewhere cool or cold (and dry) until the last minute, before giving. A fridge if possible, or a garage or even on the back door step. Whip it in and under the tree moments before giving. It provides them with the option to dive in straight away.

10. Don’t leave it until the last minute.

Beer is often a top choice for last minute gifts. But if you turn up to your local bottle shop at 5pm on Christmas Eve, I can guarantee you it will be very slim pickings. I have suffered many Christmas Eves selling bottles of whatever’s left to exasperated shoppers and trying to assure them that their lager loving nephew probably will enjoy the last three bottles of brown ale. Give yourself a fighting chance of getting what you actually need by buying earlier in December.

There we go. Best of luck shoppers, follow my advice and you can’t miss.

Post note: if anyone reading this is planning on buying me a beery Christmas gift, my favourite styles are non-adjunct porters and stouts, barley wines and lagers from independent breweries. Thank you.