Beer Lover's Gift Guide pt 2

- by Kendall Jones, Washington Beer Blog -

Today, I present my second holiday gift guide - more gift ideas for the beer lover in your life. (See the beer lover's gift guide we posted last week).

Gratafy

Price varies depending on your gift

Talk about instant gratification! With Gratafy it’s like being there to buy your buddy a beer without actually being there at all. You can buy someone a beer using your cell phone. They can redeem it using theirs. Amazing, I know. Gratafy allows you to send gifts (beers, cocktails, appetizers, more) to friends over your phone using a simple app.

Someone recently bought me a beer flight at Local 360. I received a message telling me so. I just walked into the bar, opened up the Gratafy app, tapped “Redeem” and voila! There are many, many other participants around Seattle: Tavern Law, 13 Coins, Eastlake Bar and Grill, Green Lake Bar and Grill, Madison Pub, to name just a few. New merchants are quickly jumping aboard. This is cool. Go to the website (www.gratafy.com) to learn more, get the free app for your iPhone or Android, and start Gratafying your friends.

Magazine Subscription

Price varies

There are a number of beer and imbibing lifestyle magazines out there. Some are more beer-centric than others. Among them Sip Northwest, Beer West, Draft Magazine, Beer Advocate, Mutineer, and All About Beer. As a freelance writer, it probably is not healthy for me to suggest one over the other. It is, however, wise of me to encourage you to subscribe to any or all of them.

All but two of these magazines focus on the American scene at large. Sip Northwest (Seattle-based) focuses entirely on the scene here in the Pacific Northwest, with stories about beer, wine, spirits, cider, travel and more. Even coffee on occasion. Formerly known as Beer Northwest, Beer West (Portland-based) focuses on the entire west coast.

Brewing in Seattle

$20.00 (approx)

Kurt Stream spent two years putting together this illustrated history of Seattle beer: Brewing in Seattle. The story itself dates back about 150 years. This book touches on it all: from Seattle’s original beer pioneers, through the long reign of Rainier Beer, and on to the modern craft beer revolution. Brewing in Seattle offers a ton of entertainment for local beer lovers. Pick up a copy at your local bottleshop. Look for it online if you must. I got my copy at The Beer Junction (blog sponsor).

Beer Hats by the Can Hattery

$30 - $40

As craft beer in aluminum cans becomes increasingly common, it is good to know that a local milliner is working to revive a lost art. Back in the 70s, you would typically find Rainier Beer and Olympia Beer hats at flea markets and swap meets, today you can get the same kind of hats manufactured with the good stuff. Your friend, hubby or wife will look so stylish at the next beer festival in one of these beautiful hats from The Can Hattery - visit the store online at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCanHattery

Beer Socks

$18

The folks at Beer Socks have a saying: “Don’t just walk the walk, hop the hops.” The knee-high beer socks are fun, for sure. Imagine your soccer team wearing these. Imagine you wearing these to the next beer festival. Something so simple does not really require much description. Check them out at http://www.beersocks.net.

Mindy’s Beer Gear

Prices vary

It’s called “upcycling.” The term refers to taking stuff that might be considered garbage, or recyclable, and turning it into a new product. Using old six-pack holders, Mindy cleverly creates bracelets, luggage tags, wallets and even dog collars. Not only do they involve beer, but her products actually are quite beautiful. Check them out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/MindysDesigns