Next Draft

THE NEXT DRAFT

A beer lover’s guide to last-minute gifts

Matthew Tota

Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Not long ago, I promised myself to never again battle the hordes of frantic shoppers hunting presents during Christmas week.

I made the pledge after a revelation: Beer and beer-related things make for wonderful lastminute gifts. And with a few exceptions, you’ll find breweries and bottle shops free from the mall and shopping plaza throngs.

If I gift you a four-pack with Dec. 24 stamped on the bottom of the cans, of course, it’s proof I waited until the very last second to buy it. That’s one way to look at it. But I’d argue the evidence works in my favor: Because I love and respect you so much, I bought the freshest beer possible.

You’ve probably shopped for your wine-loving friend before, shelling out the extra money for a pricey Italian red. For beer drinkers, too, pulling out a rare bottle of barley wine or barrelaged stout from a gift bag is as pleasing a sight as a Barolo or Brunello.

And then there are those various mix-packs out there that will blow away any kind of garment you planned to give. Just don’t go for the Advent calendar-themed ones – way too late to give someone one of those.

To make it easier for you to buy something for the craft beer fan in your life, I’ve put together a few ideas here. No need to thank me, your readership is my gift.

Mix it up – you can’t go wrong

Why get someone one pack of the same beer when you can get them a curated medley? Mix-packs can be hit or miss, but breweries tend to up their game around the holidays.

My favorite currently on the retail shelves is a gift pack from the 75-year-old Belgian brewery St. Bernardus. The smiling monk on the package invites you to try four of the brewery’s best ales, the magnificent “Abt 12,” a robust quad, among them. The $19.99 pack also comes with a St. Bernardus chalice.

Tree House Brewing Co. assembles its variety packs with as much care as the table layout at a wedding, even going as far as giving them catchy names for the season, such as “Three Cheers for Christmas Beers,” “Yule Lager” and “Christmas sHOPping.”

Go for one of the 24-packs that mix the classic Tree House IPAs like “Julius” and “Haze” with newer numbers like “JJJuice Project” or “King Julius.” Consider going all out by delivering the beer inside a new YETI cooler.

Wormtown Brewery has the perfect stocking stuffer at its Shrewsbury Street taproom: its own barrel-aged maple syrup. WORMTOWN BREWERY

Searching for a last-minute gift? You can't go wrong with a mix-pack like this one from the 75-year-old Belgian brewery St. Bernardus.

MATTHEW TOTA PHOTO

Go straight to the source, but not just for beer

Think of breweries as retail stores without the threat of banging into shopping carts and unflattering fluorescent light. Instead you’re inside a softly-lit taproom browsing, beer in hand.

Breweries offer a lot of options other than beer. Buy some, of course, but add in a hat, shirt or dog calendar. Maybe some beer soap or a brewery-themed puzzle, too.

Wormtown Brewery now stocks its own barrel-aged maple syrup in the taproom on Shrewsbury Street.

In Marlboro, Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Co. has house-roasted coffee to add into a coffee- and beer-themed gift bag. You could also give a weekly or monthly coffee subscription.

Redemption Rock Brewing Co. just released its 2022 Taproom Dog Calendar, which would look great alongside a stuffed stocking. A portion of the sales goes to NEADS, a local nonprofit that provide worldclass service dogs to people with disabilities, veterans and more.

I’ve already professed my love for Samuel Adams’ “Old Fezziwig Ale,” and you can get the festive, nostalgia-inducing ale in candle form, while supplies last.

Sam Adams teamed with The Greg Hill Foundation and Shop the Cue to release a limited-edition Old Fezziwig candle. The candle is a gift with a $40 minimum donation to the fund. Along with the sales from the candle, Sam Adams is donating $10,000 to The Restaurant Strong Fund.

Beer lovers can never have too many glasses

Ornate beer glasses are smart gifts for craft beer fans. And they can never have too many. Despite owning a cabinet filled with more than a dozen different beer glasses, I never pass up the opportunity to buy another if I feel it would improve my collection (much to my fiancé’s chagrin).