Bob: "Okay. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a beer."

Doug: "On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two turtlenecks,"

Bob: "And a beer."

--- Bob & Doug McKenzie

With the holidays already upon us, starting with Halloween and Turkey Day, it's time to consider holiday gift-giving. Some questions to consider: What do I give my mail carrier person? What do I give my boss? What do I give my neighbor? What do I give my local Starbuck's employees? Those are all good questions. But here at The Beer Spot, we have only one question. What do I give the beer geeks/snobs in my life?

A good question that needs significant exploration. There are plenty of lists out there, as I found out in my limited research for this blogpost. First, let's get past the single most important concept in gift-giving when it comes to beer geeks/snobs. That concept is that the best single gift you can ever get them is a truly unusual or hard to find beer. What we REALLY want is that one or two or twelve special bottles of holiday hops cheer. That gift can range from a single bottle of 2001 Lou Pepe Gueuze to a flight of 2000-2009 Westvleteren 12. Or if you've really got the high-level personal connections, you should try to score a couple bottles of Stone Vertical Epic 02-02-02.

As for what the rest of us might be able to score as a gift for a beer geek/snob, here is a quick list:

(1) Glassware

Examples of more "unusual" glassware would range from goblets to brandy snifters to tulip glasses. Or you can go the Kegergator route and put everything in a pint glass. No shame in that, I suppose. Pint glasses with non-local brewer logos are always welcome.

(2) Growlers from non-local brewpubs delivered in person

This is especially true for seasonal beers from brewpubs that the beer geek/snob might not be able to find easily. Be aware that growlers can hang on for a while if they are kept cold, but they are usually best if cracked within a week or so of picking them up. Plus, if you deliver them in person, you get the opportunity to politely "suggest" that the growler needs to be opened right away.

(3) Cheap toss-in gifts or stocking stuffers

Lots of ideas here, from coasters to T-shirts to caps. Or really anything from a local craft brewer. Bottle openers with interesting designs or limited release beer label logos on them. Small stuff like that.

(4) Beer gift baskets (if you wanted to make your own)

If one were inclined to create a gift basket on their own, I would suggest a mixed sixer of non-local individual bottles. Or at least a sixer of some interesting craft beer. Add in some stocking stuffer "stuff", maybe a unique bottle opener, and possibly some beernuts or pretzels. Nothing says lovin' like beer and snack food. Check out Beer On The Wall gift baskets for some ideas.

(5) Beer of the month club

There are plenty of these floating around. I've never experienced one of these myself, but the concept is at least worthwhile. One place to start might be at Beer On The Wall. They have a beer of the month package that I noticed during my minimal research effort I had earlier today.

(6) Beer books, DVDs, posters, games, trivia, etc.

This can be a very wide area to find gift ideas. It can range from homebrewing books, to general beer info books, to books by or about brewers, to recipe books. If you are looking for homebrewing books for somewhat experienced homebrewers, then look at "Clone Brews" (it has 150 clone recipes of commercial beers) or maybe "Radical Brewing" (by Randy Mosher). For something a little further up the ladder for a really experienced homebrewer, you might try "The Homebrewer's Garden" (by Joe Fisher). The owner of Dogfish Head brewing, Sam Calagione, has written a few good books about beer ("Brewing Up A Business", "Extreme Brewing", and "He Said Beer, She Said Wine"). While I have heard good things about them, I have not actually read them myself.

You might also consider other published ideas like posters, games or trivia books. I noticed a few board games while I looked around online. You can get something somewhat cheesy, like "Brew-Opoly" or you can try something a bit more cerebral like a Beer Mug checkers set.

If you are a bit more adventurous, and don't mind sharp objects flying while beer is being drunk, then look into a nice dart board set. I hear that's popular in England. My dad of all people is actually in a darts league. Go figure. One site with some solid ideas I saw was Beer Town USA.

(7) YouGotBeer.com gift cards

From the website --- "With each beer you buy someone at YouGotBeer.com, you recipient will get a gift card or gift certificate so they can enjoy some BEER on you at one of the listed bars/restaurants."

I spotted this one while reading the 2008 gift ideas at the website for the Colorado Springs Craft Beer Examiner. There is a service fee involved, on top of the $5 price tag. I also don't know what the list of bars looks like for any given area.

(8) Food items or food ideas to pair with beers

This could include cookbooks or actual food items. If you have a beer geek/snob that's also a "foodie", you can try to find a cookbook that compliments the beers they enjoy. There are some recipes ideas at the Food & Wine website. You can get a sense of various food styles that pair well with various beer styles. You could also get them a copy of "Beer Cookbook: 101 Recipes With Beer".

If you are looking for food items for the beer geek/snob, then consider any number of sharp or strong flavored cheeses, nuts, or various other snack foods. I would suggest trying to find something interesting, like wasabi almonds or interesting flavored pretzels.

(9) Beer magazine subscription

There several solid choices in this category. For example: Beer magazine, Draft magazine, All About Beer magazine. I'll just leave this subject alone with that list...

(10) Breweriana (beer collectibles)

You can find beer collectibles on any number of sites, such as eBay, Beer Collections, Beer Town USA, or several others. Some good starter ideas would be neon signs, tap handles, banners, or inflatables (minds out of the gutter, people).

(11) Beer equipment

If your beer geek/snob is a hombrewer, you might be able to figure out some equipment needs they have. Get them a bigger brew kettle or a bigger carboy. A couple places to start looking are Midwest Supplies or Northern Brewer.

For the non-brewing beer geeks/snobs, you might look at a storage unit for cellaring beers. This can range from a smaller 6-10 bottle unit, or all the way up to a huge 1,000 bottle unit, or even bigger. Wine storage units work equally well for beer storage. Some other ideas: kegerators, small office fridges, bottle chillers.

(12) The ultimate beer geek gift

If you REALLY love your resident beer geek/snob, you can take the extraordinary step of sending them to the Brewmaster Program offered by the American Brewer's Guild in Vermont. It's not cheap at all ($8,500 I think). You can find more info at the American Brewers Guild website.

There is a decent range of ideas here. There are also several other spots to look to find even more ideas. Some are listed here, or you can simply do a Google search for "beer gift ideas". If you are considering the Brewmaster Program for your beloved beer geek/snob, please consider putting me on your gift list for that gift as well. I promise to be a good boy all year in 2010 if you do. Really, I will...