I'm all about buying local. And drinking local (of course!) Putting the two together is the perfect combination for the perfect holiday gift for those craft beer loving folks on your shopping list!

Think about it - we have 8 breweries in our state - where you can purchase beer drinking goodies such as pint glasses, t-shirts, hats, growlers and gift certificates. I thought it would be fun to give you a quick rundown of some of my favorite things from each brewery. Check them out...

16 Mile Brewing Company

My 16 Mile hat that I rock often!

I'm a sucker for a good hat, and the maroon 16 Mile baseball hat we picked up over the summer at the brewery is one of them! In addition to my favorite baseball hat, 16 Mile has some new merchandise in for the holiday, including a new Promo T, an update to the Responders Tshirt, a new hoodie, and a new long sleeve shirt for women. Not sure what to get that craft beer loving person on your list? A 16 Mile Gift Card is always a great alternative to your lame ol' generic gift card! I mean, you can buy beer (or cool 16 Mile gear!) with it!

3rd Wave Brewing Co.

Source: 3rd Wave Facebook page

You have your pick of goodies at 3rd Wave Brewing Co.! Short- and long-sleeved t-shirts, hats, growlers, sweatshirts, and pint glasses - 3rd Wave has your gift giving covered! If you're going to make the trip to 3rd Wave, you can't leave there without chatting with Lori and John, and of course, without trying at least one of the brews. Even better, we suggest you try the sampler so you get a little of everything! And with SEVEN beers on tap now, that's a lot of samplin'!

Argilla Brewing Company at Pietro's Pizza

Source: http://www.argillabrewing.com/

So maybe you weren't one of the lucky 50 people to get first dibs on their upcoming growlers! Why not get that craft brew loving person on your holiday list a gift certificate to use on one when they become available? Or just to use on Argilla's amazing craft brew and grub?! And now is the perfect time to purchase that gift card from Argilla! Now until December 31st, when you purchase a $50 gift card, you receive an added $15 gift card. ($15 gift card will be valid from January 1, 2013 through March 1, 2013). You can't beat a deal like that! Especially when there's good beer involved!

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

Source: http://www.dogfish.com/

It's easy to find something for just about everyone (including your pup!) when you hop on the Dogfish Head online store! Have a hiker, a biker or outdoor activity loving beer drinker on your holiday shopping list? The DFH Emergency Info Bracelet is a pretty cool gift for them! (I'm thinking this is going to be in someone's gift pile on Christmas day!) A cool stocking stuffer for the avid beer taster is the DFH Beer Tasting Journal (I just got mine!) Pretty much one of my favorite purchases from an Analog-a-Go-Go a few years ago (no pun intended) is the Heidi Lowe DFH Vinyl Record Necklace. Seriously, how cool is this? (Heidi's gallery is the yellow house next door to the Brewpub in Rehoboth). I'm so excited to see that they're carrying her necklaces now! DFH has tons of tees, sweatshirts, Patagonia gear, hats, glassware and so much other cool off-centered good stuff.

Fordham Brewing Company / Old Dominion Brewing Company

Source: Fordham Facebook Page

These two breweries make it easy for us to show you a few of our favorite things that we wouldn't mind finding under our Christmas tree - or in our stocking (check out the picture!) Seriously though, one of our favorite t-shirts comes from Fordham - it's the 'Fordham Unisex T-Shirt.' It's one of those super worn in looking, super comfy tees. Old Dominion has some pretty cool goodies too. Have an art collecting, beer-loving someone on your holiday list? How about give them a collection of the Limited Edition Bomber Girls Posters? They're available in GiGi's Farmhouse, Double D, and Morning Glory! I could easily see these great prints framed and hanging in someone's kitchen or bar area. They rock!

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

Source: ironhillbrewery.com

Remember the westchesterdish.com post about the Iron Hill Holiday Bottled Reserves Gift Pack? It features Iron Hill's Bottled Reserve seasonal beers, brewed in small batches. You even get a complimentary beer tote gift packaging when you purchase the gift pack! With beers like Senor Chocolatoro and Winter Wheat Wine Ale, you can't go wrong. If you're thinking about purchasing a gift card or two for the holiday gift giving season, don't forget, for every $75.00 of gift cards you purchase, you get a $20 gift for yourself! You can always give someone a gift certificate for a King of the Hill Loyalty Program too!

Stewart's Brewing Company

Source: stewartsbrewingcompany.com

There are a few things in life that I know for sure. One of them is that the purchase of a growler from Stewart's Brewing Company is definitely a good holiday present! Pair it with a gift card from the brew pub and I'm pretty sure any beer lover on your holiday list will be thrilled. Bonus: right now Stewart's has a gift card special - buy a $50 gift card, get a $5 gift card for free; or purchase a $100 gift card and get a $20 gift card for free. Plus, your gift recipient can use that gift cards towards Stewart's Mug Club or towards Stewart's New Year's Eve dinner!

Twin Lake's Brewing Company

Source: twinlakesbrewingcompany.com

When talking to someone about Twin Lakes, I can't tell you how many times I've heard the response, "I've never done the tour at Twin Lakes before." Well, that, my dear friends, is suggested gift #1 from Twin Lakes! The tours, held Wednesdays at 5pm and Saturday at 1pm, are $22 per person and include a pint glass, a fantastic tour of the brewery and tastings of the beers. A Twin Lakes growler (filled of course) is also a great gift idea! You can go crazy and purchase one of the uber-cool one-gallon ceramic growlers ($250) or a glass growler, which will set you back $12, $17 filled. We're a little partial to the very cool Twin Lakes Bike Jersey. We love seeing all the craft beer jerseys along the road when we're out for a small supply of the 225th Delaware Day Commemorative Mugs left too!

The best Delaware craft beer related gift ever? Something from each and every one of the awesome, kick a*s, crazy cool breweries in our state. Or a road trip weekend filled with visits and tours to each of the 8 breweries! Buying local and supporting our local breweries is about as cool as a Christmas gift can get! Cheers! And Happy Holidays!