2018 Beer Geek Holiday Gift Guide
There are only a few weeks left until Christmas, but it's not too late to order your friends and family the perfect beer geek gifts. If you were struggling to figure out what rare beer or accessory that special someone didnt already own or needs, then our 2018 Beer Geek Holiday Gift Guide may provide the answers you are looking for. The New School works all year to compile this list of the best beer merch, gadgets, tools and tech for the beer geek or just beer curious.
Nitro Citra-Hopped Cold Brew
Everyone's favorite kind of non-alcoholic "brew" is coffee and cold brew coffee is hotter than ever. Like cidermakers before them, coffee makers are starting to catch on that hops can make anything better, even in cold brew coffee like this one. This four pack of 12oz Nitro Brew Coffee is made from a single-origin and Direct Trade Brazilian coffee and is dairy and gluten-free with super citrusy Citra hops added to give a unique crassy and fruity bright note to the rich and smooth cold brew.
Helvetiq Beer IQ Trivia Game
Game night just got a lot more entertaining and no one had to throw their car keys into a bowl. Helvetiq Beer IQ is a new beer quiz game in a box, if you love playing games as much as Jason Bateman and never miss a trivia night at your local pub (or know someone like this) than this might make for a perfect gift. The Beer IQ trivia game goes in two rounds with the first calling on your beer knowledge and the second on your memory. The game is played in teams of 2 or more for up to 12 players, you keep track of points on score sheets with extra scores for taking risks. If you are playing with more beer novices, there are two levels of difficulty with 400 multiple-choice answers. A perfect way to raise your beer IQ or prove it!
Adidas München Oktoberfest Prost Shoes
Beer proof sneakers? It's a thing and Adidas has created them specifically for Oktoberfest imbibing. Made with a beer-repellent - treatmentthat Adidas calls "Oktoberfesterization" the sneaker will survive every beer shower. These shoes arent just gimmicks, they are made from high quality leather with bright embroidery made to match and compliment traditional Oktoberfest garb.Last year when Adidas revealed the super limited release Oktobefest Prost shoes, the internet quickly took notice and these beer proof sneakers went viral and instantly sold out. It appears Adidas München Oktoberfest Prost Shoes are back this year but have not had the buzz of last year and are still available online for shipping from Germany.
1571 Fahrenheit [1571F] Beer Carmelizer
The Beer Carmelizer is such a weird niche-y tool that I can barely believe it's real. Who would have thought that the extremely little known historical method of frothing or "flipping" a beer with a red hot poker, causing instant caramelization. The 1571 Fahrenheit [1571F] Beer Carmelizer is a three piece fire poker with a wood handle that screws on to a food grade, stainless steel wand with a gumdrop shaped tip piece designed to heat up just hot enough to create a smooth carmelization to a beer. The Beer Carmelizer is designed for campfire drinking but I can see doing this in any fire pit or maybe even a blow torch. The effects of dipping the red hot poker into a mug of beer causes a neat effect and really changes the beer for a richer, smoother malt taste.
Grilled Cheese and Beer Book
This one really should have made it into my beer book holiday gift guide but I just discovered it last weekend. Just the thought of savory, melty, crunchy, buttery grilled cheese sandwiches with my favorite craft beer has me salivating. The Grilled Cheese and Beer Book is written by a chef and a brewer and together they put together one-of-a-kind grilled cheese sandwich recipes paired with craft beers. Each recipe and combo is carefully chosen to compliment the best flavors of each.
99 Bottles on the Wall Scratch Off Chart
Part wall art, part interactive beer log, this classy and frame worthy chart is well researched and designed with categories that separate ale from lager and even sub-categories for popular German and American styles. Each of the 99 bottles depicted are classic examples of styles, each printed in scratch off gold ink with such detail as to make out each individual bottle label. This is a perfect gift for completists who love to check off accomplishments and beer fans alike.
6-Pack of Beer Greeting Cards
This holiday season, give the ultimate gift of beer, but not just lazily wrapped in old issues of Oregon Beer Growler Magazine but in this festive six pack holder and greeting card in one. With different six pack designs and attached greeting card, this will look great under the tree and is an affordable way to holidize some bottles or cans.
Rabbit Pro Waiter's Corkscrew
The perfect small-size and small price tag item for beer fans who find themselves often needing corkscrews or tools to cut wax from those primo rare bottles. I really like how this corkscrew folds up into a sharp, minimal form that can easily slide into your shirt or pants pocket. It also has great little ledge catches for resting on corked bottles and a non-stick spiral that makes removing those corks easy. The inclusion of an integrated foil cutter is also a great touch and the whole thing is still pretty affordable.
Hop Exploration Kit (Beer Tasting Set)
Local Portland business 33 Books Co. makes awesome tasting notebooks, homebrew kits and beer maps but there latest creation is a hop exploration kit for the senses. Inside this handsomely packaged product are two high-end tasting glasses designed to showcase hop flavor and aroma. With the glasses comes a 4-pack of fresh hop extracts that capture the tangible unique flavors and aromas of different single hop varieties. With just a few drops of any of the hop extracts you can transform a light lager into a single hop bouquet that really showcases the properties of that individual hop. The extracts are also fun to add to anything from cocktails to soda for a real hop exploration. The set also comes with the new 33 Beers Fresh Hop Edition tasting notebook which will help you evaluate exactly what you are experiencing in each hop variety. https://www.33books.com/products/hop-exploration-and-beer-tasting-set
Chill Systems Cooler Bags
Chill Systems makes portable beverage coolers built into bags for travel, they have some great products including back packs to bring the party on the road. These high quality bags will keep beverages cool without the bulky weight of a picnic cooler or ice, it uses the freezer gel you get in some cold ice packs but instead it's built into the package. According to the makers, the chiller bags will cool your bottles or cans in just a half hour. There are a wide variety of types and sizes of bags for standard 12oz packaging to larger 750ml bottles to 1 liter sizes.
Legacy Beer CaddySimilar to Chill Systems cooler bags, the Legacy Beer Caddy is a chilled, strapped beer bag with the difference being it's designed for a six pack of 12oz bottles. I also appreciate the soft-sided waxed cotton canvas exterior and an attached bottle opener with retractable cord so that you are never at loss for an opening device. These bags look great strapped on your shoulder and are perfect for a picnic or bringing beer to a party or other event. You can tell this pack is quality because it has a lifetime guarantee.
SNOWFOX Insulated Stainless Steel Stemless 16.9 oz. Beer Glass
Once you have a stainless steel and stemless, vacuum-insulated, dishwasher safe 16.9oz pint glass you will never go back. Not only does it keep your beer cold and has extra room for head, but the 1mm rim and lightweight metal actually weighs much less than an actual glass pint. Snowfox's new product is one of the only stainless steel beer cups that's larger than 16oz and it's perhaps the best looking of the bunch, available in a variety of colors. Get a set of two for only $34.99.
18oz Outdoor Craft Beer Cups, 4-Piece Set
No longer do you have to sacrifice classy, proper glassware when drinking outdoors or at parties. I highly recommend stainless steel cups like the Snowfox insulated cups featued above, but if you don't want to splurge and would like to actually see the color of your beer than thes are just the ticket. These clear plastic, BPA free and shatter proof cups are designed in the classic IPA mold, hold 18oz of beer and are dishwasher safe.
SL1 Homebrewer Can Seamer
Who would have thought that in 2018 we would live in a world where cheetos from reality TV can become president and homebrewers can can their own homebrews. While it's still a considerable price tag at $879, the SL1 Homebrewer Can Seamer is still incredibly affordable for homebrewers that may already be dropping thousands on fermenters, carboys, wort chillers and hops. Now they won't have to worry about finding enough blank bottles to sanitize but can use sustainable cans instead that carry less of a footprint, are much easier to handle and cheaper to ship. https://oktoberdesign.com/shop/canseamers/sl1/
Adv3nture Hoodie/Outdoor Drinking Jackets
The Adv3nture Hoodie is a feature-packed hoodie and the travel ultimate accessory. Previously known as the Drinking Jacket, a Kickstarter funded project by TV food and drink personality Zane Lamprey. This is a true, outdoor, all weather, camping or just winterized and drinking friendly product. The jacket has a neoprene beverage holder to keep your beer cold, while you remain warm under multiple layers. The jacket also has a removable custom bottle opener and can be unzipped and used as a full-sized travel pillow. All of Adv3nture’s Inner jackets are dual use, they can be worn on their own or zipped into outer layers for even more layers of warmth. http://adv3nture.com/
Ripples Beer Printer
This is a retail/brand device that functions sort of like a laser engraver for your pint. Debuting recently at the CES convention, Ripples will imprint a design or customized message in the top of your pint of beer in the foam, it also works on espresso, cocktails and more. It's being marketed for companies to promote themselves or sponsored messages, for instance you could print your logo into the top of a nitro stout before handing it to someone, or personalize it with a happy birthday or merry christmas message. I can hardly see a consumer picking up this admittedly gimmicky gadget, but how cool would it be for a brewery to own and use behind the bar or at festivals? https://www.drinkripples.com/drinks/beer