Gift Guide: 15 Ideas For The Craft Beer Obsessed

Pop Chart Labs Breweries of the United States
No self-respecting man cave is complete without a poster dedicated to beer. In that case, may I point you to this handsome poster designed by the crack team at Pop Chart Labs. The poster features just about every brewery in the United States, giving you ample ammunition to plot your next cross-country road trip. $32, popchartlab.com

Deschutes The Abyss
Just released a few weeks ago, Deschutes’ annual dark jewel is brewed with licorice and molasses, then partly aged in oak and bourbon barrels to soak up the flavors of spirits and wood. It’s warming indulgence suited for celebrations, or combating the winter chill. A bottle is a perfect stocking stuffer. $14.99, beership.com

Beers from Let's Pour
The problem with most beer-delivery websites is the exorbitant costs for shipping. You’ll avoid that with Let’s Pour, which offers free shipping if you order at least six bottles. May I suggest stocking up on selections from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, AleSmith, Pelican Brewing, Ninkasi and Hopworks? There’s nary a miss among them. letspour.com

33 Bottles of Beer Journal
If your method of keeping track of beers you consume is collecting the empty bottles, then you might need 33 Bottles of Beer. The journal helps you easily chart a beer’s style, original gravity and ABV, as well as its flavors. The most common attributes (floral, burnt, sour) are arranged in a circular flavor wheel that allows you to quickly summarize a beer’s profile. $4, 33beers.com

The World Atlas of Beer
Too often, drinkers get trapped in beer cocoons surrounded by all the pales and stouts they know and love. Thing is, the craft-beer revolution is popping up everywhere from Denmark to Japan and South America. Authors Stephen Beaumont and Tim Webb take you on a world tour of the best craft beer you have not heard of—yet. $18.60, amazon.com

How To Brew
I’ll sum up this book in a single sentence: John Palmer has written the essential introductory text for learning how to brew beer. $19.95, amazon.com

Homebrew Introductory Kit
If you can make oatmeal, then you can brew beer. This kit includes every bit of equipment a budding brewer needs, from a fermenting bucket to sanitizer, a thermometer and caps for bottles. If you decide to scale up to a larger setup, you can incorporate this equipment into a bigger rig. $90, store.brooklyn-homebrew.com

IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale
If you’re a fan of brewing bitter beers, then take a look at this new tome from Stone Brewing’s brewmaster, Mitch Steele. Here, Steele dispenses the bitter truth on the history of the style, as well as provide recipes for historical ales and modern IPAs from the likes of Firestone Walker and Russian River. $24.95, amazon.com

Surly Furious Pro Series All-Grain Kit
Minnesota’s excellent homebrew supply shop Northern Brewer has partnered with professional breweries to release homebrew kits that replicate their best-loved beers, such as Surly Brewing’s Furious. It’s a no-holds-barred IPA that’ll toss your taste buds for a loop. $49.99, northernbrewer.com

Samuel Adams Boston Lager Glasses
Great craft beer deserves great glassware, such as these beauties from Sam Adams. The specially designed glass accentuates flavor, captures aromas and ensures the head lasts until the next luscious sip. $30, estore.samueladams.com

Kiuchi No Shizuku Hitachino Nest Distilled White Ale
Kiuchi’s Hitachino Nest White Ale is a wonderful witbier that’s spiced with coriander, orange peel, nutmeg and even orange juice. Distilled and aged in oak, Kiuchi No Shizuku (its name means first drip from the distillation kettle) calls to mind coriander and citrus, with a sweet, slightly woody finish. $17.99, drinkupny.com

Charbay R5 Aged Whiskey
This whiskey starts life as Bear Republic’s piney, citrusy Racer 5 IPA, before it’s distilled and sent to slumber in new oak barrels for more than a year. The result is a hoppy, heavenly hybrid fit for beer geeks and whiskey fiends alike. $69.99, klwines.com

The Rare Beer Club
Today’s madcap brewers are creating a dizzying array of extreme ales spiked with wild yeasts, aged in oak barrels or dosed with unusual ingredients. There’s no limit to their innovation—only your ability to find these rare, limited-edition beers. No longer. Each month, this club delivers the best and brightest of today’s craft-beer scene to your door. $32.95 a month plus $14 for shipping (two bottles), beermonthclub.com

Brewed Awakening
Perhaps this pick is a bit predictable. After all, I penned this chronicle of the craft-beer revival, traveling from coast to coast to interview bartenders, brewers and drinkers everywhere that better be was brewed and sold. If you’ve ever wondered why brewers are making salty, sour ales or taking IPAs to the dark side, then this book is for you. P.S. The cover folds out into a beer map. $13.91, amazon.com

Shmaltz Brewing Holiday Gift Pack
Too often, Jews lose out on the holiday fun. Not so with this killer gift pack from Shmaltz, which includes eight different brews (including He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. and the special-edition Jewbelation Sweet 16), Hanukkah candles, a glass and instructions on building a “beer menorah.” $30, shmaltzbrewing.com