The Sacramento Bee: 8 great gift ideas for the beer lover in your life

Glassware seems obvious, but if you have been into craft beer long enough, you’re probably looking to purge rather than expand your collection. Gift cards are reliable but impersonal and home-brewing kits threaten to go unused, while bottles and cans that should be stored upright and fresh are hard to hide. And don’t even think about buying a magnum of Anchor Christmas Ale. No one wants to drink that much cinnamon.

With all that in mind, we put together this list of beer-related gift ideas in a variety of price ranges. Hopefully it will help make holidays brighter for the beer lover in your life.

Stocking stuffers ($20 and less)

Stone Brewing mustards ($5 each)

One of the largest independent craft breweries in the country, Stone Brewing offers a wide variety of food products infused with their beers, including hot sauces, BBQ sauces, beef jerky and these mustards. The whole grain mustard is made with Stone IPA, the chipotle pepper version contains their Pale Ale 2.0 and Delicious IPA spikes the Dijon. (shop.stonebrewing.com)

Modern Times coffee ($15-20)

Every beer nut in Sacramento has sampled his or her fair share of Modern Times beer, but not many have tasted the excellent coffee produced by company – a unique blend of brewery and roastery. Packages of whole beans start at $15 with their Black House blend, the same coffee that goes in their flagship oatmeal stout, while single-origin and barrel-aged coffees cost a little more. (www.moderntimesmerch.com)

Great Divide 6-pack bike carrier ($12)

Sneak in some exercise on your next bottle-shop run with this insulated six-pack bottle and can carrier from Denver-based brewery Great Divide. The carrier should sling over the center bar of most bikes, while a handle in the center converts the piece into a totable bottle bag. (shop.greatdivide.com)

The Complete Beer Course hardcover book ($18)

Embarrassed by your friend or family member who keeps trying to order Stella Artois at Pangaea? Bring them up to speed with this “boot camp for beer geeks,” which crams a lifetime of beer education into 12 tasting lessons. (Available at retailers including Amazon.com)

Gifts (More than $20)

Beer Cap Map ($35)

Turn that drawer full of discarded bottle caps into art with Beer Cap Maps. These “birch plywood, state-shaped display boards” are riddled with dozens of bottlecap-sized holes, allowing you to show off both your state pride and your somewhat alarming extent of your craft beer enthusiasm. (www.beercapmaps.com)

Hopped Up Coffee ($26 for two 12-oz. bags)

If peanut butter inside of chocolate is good, then chocolate inside of peanut butter must also be good. That’s the basic logic behind Hopped Up Coffee, a dual-brew that turns the coffee-beer trend on its head by infusing ground coffee with hops and barley. The coffee comes in Chocolate Stout and Black IPA flavors. (Available at www.uncommongoods.com)

Knee Deep tap handle ($25)

As the undisputed kings of craft beer in the Sacramento area, Knee Deep is also the most aggressive seller of branded merchandise, offering everything from Knee Deep wall-mounted bottle openers to Knee Deep putter covers and a whole lot more on their website. It gets tacky fast, but a classic Knee Deep tap handle is still an essential piece on any craft beer collector’s memorabilia shelf. (kneedeepbrewing.com)

American Homebrewers Association membership ($43)

Many brewmasters and brewery owners began as homebrewers, so get this one for the aspiring Ken Grossman or Vinnie Cilurzo in the family. Member benefits include discounts at partner breweries (local participants include Sudwerk and Flatland), exclusive event invitations and a subscription to their in-house magazine Zymurgy. (www.homebrewersassociation.org)”