I’m finding it harder and harder every year to come up with good gift items, not only for other people, but for myself especially. By the age of 23, I feel like I’ve received everything that is really appropriate as a Christmas gift, so my Christmas list the last few years has been pretty sparse. However, if you’re a beer lover, there are endless gadgets, supplies, and products to satisfy the appetite of even the most amateur beer snob.
But one gift that really works well for a beer lover of any variety is beer literature. Now, you could fill an entire library with books on beer if you wanted, but that wouldn’t be very practical or cheap (though if you do have a beer book library in your house, I owe you a cold one). However, giving the gift of beer literature is a great holiday gift, and something I’d really recommend. I’d like to single out five reads that are great for all beer lovers. Enjoy.
“Ultimate Beer” by Michael Jackson; $19.77 from Amazon.com
No, not that Michael Jackson. But this Michael Jackson should probably be just as famous. One of the world’s foremost beer intellectuals, Mr. Jackson presents “Ultimate Beer,” a large, hardcover coffee table book that’s perfect for anyone looking to pair beers with food, or to just look at the wonderful photos. Michael Jackson goes into great detail about the types of beer throughout the world, and when to enjoy each of these types. A perfect book for anyone who knows everything about beer, or for someone who is just getting into tasting on their own, “Ultimate Beer” is the book that will have anyone with beer on the mind in a great mood this holiday season.
“The Beer Book” by Sam Calagione; $16.50 from Amazon.com
A book I own and love, “The Beer Book” by Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, is the perfect book for anyone obsessed with American craft breweries. Featuring short profiles from breweries all over the United States, as well as the world, “The Beer Book” is the encyclopedia of the breweries you need to know about. Interspersed in the shorter profiles are longer features on the various beer types, as well as deeper looks into brewing processes, background info on where beer came from, and in-depth looks into some of the stranger beers and breweries in the world. This book is a must for anyone looking to branch out in their beer tasting, and it provides a handy checklist for making sure you’ve been to as many breweries as possible. Spoiler alert: you have got a long, long, long, long, long way to go before you reach them all.
“How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time” by John Palmer; $13.57 from Amazon.com
This is the book you must own if you want to become the next Great American Brewer. John Palmer tells you how to make beer without leaving out any details. Palmer sets the foundation to start creating your own beer the right way, all while displaying his wonderful wit and prose. The book might seem a little overwhelming for the first time brewer, but if you want to know how to make beer, and how to make it right, this is a great place to start. Even if you’ve brewed before, there’s nothing like learning new techniques and also moving toward making your own beer totally from scratch.
“Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass” by Randy Mosher; $13.57 from Amazon.com
If Palmer’s book is your first vehicle, then “Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass” is your Corvette. Mosher doesn’t settle for creating just the standard beers. He wants to show even the guy next-door that making wild beers isn’t far from reality. When Michael Jackson is writing the foreword, you know this is a special book. If you’re a first time brewer, you might want to pick this one up a little tentatively, but don’t be afraid to shoot for the moon when you’re just starting out. The best beers in the world can be made this way. With Mosher’s guidance, you’ll be creating unique beers that may not even exist yet in no time at all.
“Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer” by Marueen Ogle; $10.20 from Amazon.com
We may not all be fans of the macrobreweries and the beers they’re pumping out today, but America’s current beer establishment owes a lot to those once burgeoning giants. Maureen Ogle’s “Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer” chronicles the rise of the American brewery, its journey through prohibition, and how the microbreweries have to the forefront today. A beer book for the history lover, Ogle’s research uncovers interesting anecdotes about all things brew, including the fact that we’re the ones to blame for the big-time breweries producing weaker brews. This should be required reading for any American history class.
Something about this season has me in a beer mood. Maybe it’s because Rudolph is on tonight, or maybe it’s the Christmas lights I see driving home, or maybe I would really, really like to have a beer or twelve with the real Santa Claus. Whatever the reason, I’m in the mood for some winter beers.
Lump of Coal — Ridgeway Brewing Co. in South Stoke, England: The only time I will be happy to find a lump of coal in my stocking. A thick brew that clocks in around 8%, Lump of Coal is a hearty stout that isn’t afraid to let the alcoholic hints take the stage. Subtler and sweeter notes of chocolate and coffee give way to a welcome, warming taste of alcohol that is more drinkable than whiskey and won’t be pushing you to embarrass yourself at the office holiday party. Plus, with a name like Lump of Coal, how can you go wrong? Ridgeway Brewing makes a whole holiday line of beer with names like Pickled Santa, Reindeer’s Revolt, Santa’s Butt, and one of my other favorites…
Bad Elf — Ridgeway Brewing Co. in South Stoke, England: Another one of Ridgeway’s winter mainstays, Bad Elf is the lesser of the naughty elf beers (the others: Very Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf, Criminally Bad Elf, and Insanely Bad Elf), but it gets huge points for drinkability. A well-built and hearty beer, Bad Elf is a sweeter IPA than most would prefer, but the drinkability of it is what makes this something everyone can enjoy. You can almost see the elves downing a bunch of these while putting together bicycles and toy trucks. It might even be perfect for you while you struggle with setting up the kids’ new bike, or the Lego set that needs to be done NOW. Embrace your inner bad elf and give it a try.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale — Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA: In my mind, this is Sierra Nevada at its finest. The Celebration Ale may not scream winter, this highly aromatic IPA is super hearty and always a good find. If you think you’ve tried all the IPAs out there, give the Celebration a taste and notice what an IPA made for winter can, and should, be. Slight fruity notes coupled with avalanches of hops make this a real thick desert treat or one to have a go with on a chilly night.
Bell’s Winter White — Bell’s Brewery Inc., Kalamazoo, MI: Though it’s not the strongest or most commanding beer for the winter season, Bell’s Winter White does offer a smoother and calmer take on the winter season, and something infinitely better than Sam Adams’s winter selection. Smelling of sweet citrus fruits and winter spices, Winter White is a great drinking beer for holiday gatherings, even for the pickiest beer drinker. Couple this one with a spiced cider and settle in with some friends and watch the snow fall lightly outside. Note the subtle hints of spice and yeast and you have yourself something for a calm winter’s night.
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout — Dogfish Craft Brewery, Milton, DE: Dogfish Head couldn’t make just a normal stout now, could they? And thank Santa they didn’t. This Chicory Stout adds a touch of burnt wood and an earthy-tone to the traditional stout. With notes of coffee and roasted malt, this beer is full of flavor, but won’t fill you up before you go out for some caroling. Couple this brew with some chocolates or some blander Christmas cookies and you’ll have a great take on the cookies and milk combo. Plus, leave it out for Santa and he’ll probably leave behind an 56″ LED television, a riding lawnmower, and an iMac or three.
Santa’s Private Reserve — Rogue Brewing Company, Newport, OR: It may not be what Santa would drink, but I could see him keeping a healthy batch of this for when the elves were being asses or if Mrs. Claus scratched the sleigh with her purse. Making up some of the best traits of Rogue, Santa’s Private Reserve balances a dry-hop finish with a good bitterness that is hard to find in red ales. The touch of pine adds enough taste to the season to make this a great compliment to any holiday dinner, or even a companion out for a night of ‘tubing.
Brewery, London, England: This guy is winter in a bottle. Think looking for a Christmas tree and accidentally eating one instead. A murky and cloudy beer that doesn’t pack the usual alcoholic punch, Winter Warmer is a smooth and calm beer with touches of citrus and caramel and molasses end notes. This won’t warm you like whiskey might, but if you’re seeking something that might remind you of childhood and opening presents and Dad swearing that the dog just ate one of the G.I. Joes you got, this might do it—it’s just that comforting.
Wine Enthusiast
23. Dogfish Head Festina Peche (Berliner Weissbier; 
