Christmas (and Beer) Is The Reason For the Season - Last Minute Beer Gifts to Give This Holiday Season (Or To Get!)

Whether you're looking for a gift for the fellow craft beer lover in your life, or need to add a few more things to list for Santa, here are our suggestions of the coolest craft beer gifts from around the state (and slightly beyond).  We're all about shopping local, or at the very least, shopping small, so we're giving you a run down of what we'd love to give (or receive!) from the breweries around the state.

16 Mile has Love, Byrd. Soaps made with their Tiller Brown Ale and Old Court Ale. We're thinking pairing the soap with the appropriate shower beer is totally acceptable when you're giving this gift.

3rd Wave Brewing has not one Beanie options but two Beanie options to keep your craft beer lovers noggin warm this winter.

Make a quick stop into 2SP Brewing and pick up one of their pre-made gift baskets. Each basket has a $50 gift card, 2 pint glasses, stickers, lip balm, a bottle opener, and an (empty) growler. That's $100 worth of goodies for $75. Nice.

Give the gift of pizza and beer with a gift card from Argilla Brewing Co. Who doesn't love that combo? 

Big Oyster Brewery has new trucker hats for the dude or dude-ette that can rock a hat like a boss. 

A Blue Earl Brewing gift certificate paired with with a 6-pack of the brewery's newly released Walking Blues IPA is a darn good gift to give, if we do say so. 

Head into Crooked Hammock Brewery - or hop on their website - for everything from tickets to their New Year's Eve keg drop and gift cards to super cool merchandise. We're digging the Beer Mug ($22). 

Gift a Dewey Beer Company gift card for your craft beer loved one to use at one of their Monday Night Four Course Dinners or for Sunday $3 Beer Day.

Love the Dogfish Head Woolrich collaboration, Pennsylvania Tuxedo? Then you'll totally dig the Penn Tux merchandise available at the brewery or at dogfish.com. They have pint glasses, koozies, coasters and a hat in a great red and black Woolrich pattern. p.s. ordering from Dogfish.com? To ensure delivery in time for the 25th be sure to select Next-Day shipping when you check out. 

Down at the Dogfish Head Brewpub you can stop in and pick up one of their Holiday Variety Packs that includes 2 pint glasses, a keychain bottle opener, a tote and 1 bottle each of Namaste, Sixty-One, 90 Minute, Piercing Pils, 60 Minute and Indian Brown Ale. 

Get the Fordham and Dominion FoDo Hoodie for your gift getting buddy can rock it all winter long. Staying warm while looking cool? Definitely a good thing. 

Iron Hill Brewery Newark and Wilmington have several different gift ideas you can pick from like Bottled Reserve gift packages, growler gift packs, gift cards and King of the Hill memberships. Need a quick gift? The Iron Hill Growler Pack ($30) comes with an (empty) 64 oz. growler, two Iron Hill pint glasses and a $20 gift card.

Jessop's Tavern can put a little colonial spirit into you beer lovers Christmas with Grandville Hollow Pottery mugs, growlers and gift cards. 

A ticket to Kennett Winterfest, with at least 50 breweries attending, is always a good idea. Maybe it'll even feel like winter by the time the fest rolls around! 

Swing by Mispillion River Brewing to pick up a 6-pack, a growler (they just got them back in) or some Mispillion gear for your Christmas buddy to rock.

Buy a ticket for Stewart's Brewing Co.'s Beer Dinner with Painted Stave, a bottle of 20th Anniversary Ale or a gift certificate for a growler fill. 

Two Stones Pub Kennett is also offering Christmas Baskets. The Small Basket has 1 large format bottle, 2 brewery glasses, and a $50 Two Stones Gift card for $75. The Large Basket has 2 large format bottles, 2 brewery glasses and a $50 Two Stones gift card for $100. 

The Two Stones Pub Mug Club card ($35), good to use at both Two Stones Pub Newark and Two Stones Pub Wilmington, is a nice one size fits all kind of gift. 

For the literary craft beer drinking historian on your list, order a signed and personalized copy of John Medkeff's "Brewing in Delaware." Such an awesome book! 

Want to get the ball rolling on a trip on the Delaware Brew Bus? They're offering gift certificates in the amount of a Brew Tour ($55) on their website. 

2016 is year number 5 for Firefly Music Festival here in our great state. Want to really make the craft beer, music loving person on your gift givings list? Take advantage of the Early Bird pricing ($279 per ticket), or even better, take advantage of the EZPay Payment Plan they're offering this year. Six payments, no interest. Nice. 

What did Delaware? Her New Jersey? Nope, FreakerUSA says, 'I don't know, Alaska.' Good stuff. We're digging the Early Bird 1st State Freaker they have available.

Photo credit: www.freakerusa.com

So there's no need to panic that Christmas is less than a week away. These awesome last minute gifts will knock the socks off any craft beer lover in your life. But make note, any one of these gifts will set the bar (no pun intended) VERY high for next year's gift! In the meantime, have the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest New Year! 

In case you miss the link on where to purchase these items, we've got your covered:

16 Mile's Love, Byrd. Soaps: http://on.fb.me/1Uh86Pv

3rd Wave Brewing's Beanie Option #1: http://on.fb.me/1TW0Ac0 and Beanie Option #2: http://on.fb.me/1UNNRJL

2SP Gift Baskets: http://on.fb.me/1NZm8o7

Argilla Brewing Co. Gift Cards: http://bit.ly/139MDn3

Big Oyster Brewery Trucker Hats: http://on.fb.me/1NZoPWS

Blue Earl Gift Certificates: http://on.fb.me/1QAacLM or Walking Blues IPA: http://on.fb.me/1OCqZYH

Crooked Hammock Website: http://bit.ly/1YnRYl6  

Dewey Beer Company Gift Card: http://bit.ly/1wij9AH

Dogfish Penn Tux merch available: http://on.fb.me/1NMyrUx  - Check it out on their website too: http://bit.ly/1YaI7K3

Dogfish Head Brewpub Holiday Variety Pack: http://on.fb.me/1T8kjW3

Fordham and Dominion FoDo Hoodie: http://bit.ly/1k8CuP5

Iron Hill gift ideas: http://on.fb.me/1QkZetB and Iron Hill Growler Pack: http://on.fb.me/1RvyEhE

Jessop's Tavern goodies: http://on.fb.me/1J0C2hK

Kennett Winterfest tickets: http://bit.ly/1zevgwu

Mispillion River Brewing 6-pack, growler and gear: http://bit.ly/1xT4vyj

Stewart's Brewing Co. Beer Dinner with Painted Stave: http://on.fb.me/1YgY32N

Two Stones Kennett Christmas Basket: http://on.fb.me/1J0zlww

Two Stones Pub Mug Club: http://bit.ly/1hBvs49

Personalized and signed copy of Brewing in Delaware: http://on.fb.me/1FMskOK

Delaware Brew Bus Gift Certificates: http://bit.ly/1NizJGm

Firefly Music Festival Tickets: http://bit.ly/1Ikqtvj

Freakers USA Early Bird Sweater Koozie: http://bit.ly/1QaxhEW

Black Friday Shopping and Deals, Craft Beer Style

The madness of what's typically associated with Black Friday can easily be classified as insanity. Instead, bypass all the malls and big box stores and go directly to these awesome craft beer locations who are offering our kind of Black Friday specials, beer related specials.

Here's a look at who's offering what on Friday (and in some cases, slightly beyond):

• 16 Mile Brewing: Oyster Stout t-shirt and a 6-pack for $25 - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
• 16 Mile Brewing: Buy $50 gift certificate, get a $10 gift certificate free  - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
• 3rd Wave Brewing Co.: Purchase a bottle of their Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian Quad and a snifter for $20 or one of their merchandise packages they've put together for $26
• Chelsea Tavern: Buy a gift card in any denomination, get one free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY 
• Crooked Hammock Brewing: Buy 1 ticket for their NYE  Keg Drop, get on free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY for the FIRST 50 tickets sold
• Crust and Craft: Buy a $100 gift card and get a $50 gift card free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY, from 11am-4pm
• Doc Magrogan's Dover: 50% off Gift Cards - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY, from 7am-10am
• Dogfish Head: 2016 Mug Club Memberships go on sale at the Brewpub - only 300 are available
• Dogfish Head is offering free shipping on merch (not beer!) on orders of $50 or more on Dogfish.com November 27th through November 30th
• Ernest & Scott Taproom: Buy a gift in any denomination, get one free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
• Hakuna Hospitality (Santa Fe Wilmington, Santa Fe Newark, Del Pez, La Taqueria, La Bodega and Mi Ranchito): Buy a $75 gift card, get a $25 free
• Harry's Hospitality Group (Kid Shelleeen's, Harry's Seafood and Harry's Savoy): Buy a $100 gift card, geta $20 bonus gift card (up to $200 back) - Now thru November 30th, 2015
• Stewart's Brewing Company: Buy $50 a gift card, get a $50 gift card free or buy a $100 gift card, and receive a $10 bonus card - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
• Ulysses American Gastropub: Buy a gift card and recieve 20% back on a gift card for yourself - ALL OF DECEMBER 
• Untappd: 15% off pint glasses when you use the code PINTBF - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
• Washington Street Ale House: Buy a $100 Gift Card and get $20 gift card for yourself or buy a $50 gift card and get a $10 gift card for yourself

Checking Out The Dogfish Inn

After making our way through four days of Firefly, we hopped in the car as soon as we saw Jack Johnson finish his set and, rather than head north on Route 1 towards home, we took it south to Lewes so we could wake up bright and early the next day to see Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione and his son Sammy off on their 10-day, 5-stop boat trip aboard the S.S. Dogfish. Each stop included a beer dinner raising $10,000 for The Nature Conservancy. 
Sam's goal for the journey was to not only raise awareness of the beauty of coastal Delaware (which we are already quite familiar with, right?!) but to tell folks about the important work of The Nature Conservancy. Along the way Sam also wanted to share how easy it is to get to the Dogfish Inn, the brewpub and the brewery. Boy are we thankful for how easy it is!

After seeing the S.S. Dogfish on its way we made our way back to for the ribbon cutting of the much anticipated Dogfish Inn, which officially opened over 4th of July weekend. 

Here's Dogfish Head's VP Mariah Calagione, Off-Centered Innkeeper Andrew Greeley and Dogfish Head's Chief Operator Officer Nick Benz doing the honors!

From the moment we step into the Inn it is quite apparent that Dogfish is taking on the hotel industry a little differently than most might be used to. The first introduction to the Inn is the simply and perfectly designed lobby. It's welcoming, fun and exactly what we would expect from Dogfish. We could totally see hanging on the couch in front of the fire with a book from the Inn's Vusuvio Library, an ode to what was once the Vesuvio Motel, stocked by City Lights Books.

While you're wandering around the lobby area, you can pick up some Dogfish goodies to take back to your friends, family, yourself (of course!) and even your fellow pooch, who you know will be awaiting your arrival back at the homestead! 

Don't forget about Fido! Pick up some Dog Bark! and a Frisbee!

Try the Chicory Coffee, a locally-roasted  blend of Colombian coffee, chicory and dark malted brewers barley.

Items from the Dogfish/Woolrich collaboration are  available in the lobby, along with Dogfish soap and shampoo (we use this and love it!), and the Dogfish Apolis Market Bags (which you'll also find in the rooms). 

Now let's head to the rooms! 

Upon entering we quickly notice several of the Inn's partners featured throughout each of the 16 rooms, which we love. Our eye is first drawn to the inclusion of the latest collaboration with Woolrich, who Dogfish originally worked with a few years back on the wallpaper when they redesigned the tasting room. Most recently Dogfish and the outdoor gear manufacturer collaborated on not only a line of womens, mens and home gear, they also worked together on Pennsylvania Tuxedo, a spruce-infused Pale Ale (did you get a chance to try it?! So good!) The Woolrich + DFH blanket is featured in all of the rooms, perfect to keep you toasty on cool nights down at the beach! 

Other partners you'll find include the rooms are One Man Gathers Studio who framed Steve Rogers' Lightship Overfalls paintings. The paintings are showcased in each room of the Inn, with frames made from wood salvaged from an 1840's barn in Warren County, NJ. You can see one of the pictures in the picture to right (hung above the table).

The detail of every room is simple, clean, yet extremely clever. The Douglas Collection desks are perfect for writing home about your latest adventures in Lewes!

This is our kind of Mini Bar - Duke's Jerky, Brooklyn Brine Dogfish Hop Pickles and Kettle Chips!

We totally dig this Jermaine Rogers Primus print in one of the rooms!

The Inn offers two room types: a room with two double beds and a room with a king size bed. Great options for a getaway with your honey or your fellow craft beer drinking cohorts! You're easily within walking distance of Lewes' restaurants, bars, pubs, liquor stores, galleries and so much more! 

As cool as the traditional rooms are, you have to see the SWEET! As soon as we walked in we pretty much wanted to call in sick and forget about heading back to our day jobs and just spend all day here!

Heading into the SWEET!

The sitting area is a great common room.

Digging the kitchen area of the Sweet!

We loved the simplicity of the bedrooms - there are two of them in the Sweet. Sweet!

You have to love the fun details in the loo! 

We love the randomness of the wood burning pieces by Brian Kolakowski in the stairway up to the SWEET! Which one is your favorite?

The firepit is the perfect spot to enjoy the brews you picked up at the Brewery or the Brewpub.

Spend the day at the beach? No worries? Rinse off in the outdoor shower before heading up to your room. Cause let's face it, one of the best parts of being at the beach is the outdoor shower! Just make sure you keep your skives on! 

Take Time Magazine's advice and add their top summer beer trend to your to-do list: stay at Delaware's own craft beer motel, The Dogfish Inn. The rooms are cozy, the folks are great and you won't be banished to your room. Unless you're drinking bad beer while listening to bad music! 

Our favorite time down at the beach is the off-season - I know, we're weird like that! We can't wait to book a weekend down at the Dogfish Inn exploring Lewes. With all the time we've spent at the Delaware beaches over the years, Lewes is one area we haven't had much of an opportunity to visit. We're excited for a pretty darn good excuse for that to change! 

Kennett Brewfest: Who's Going to Be There & Who's Pouring What During the Connoisseur Session

I thought I'd take a quick minute to combine the the list of who's going to be there and who's pouring what the Connoisseur session. It's nothing fancy, but I thought it might make things a little easier for you tomorrow! 

You can also view the list here: 

As an Excel spreadsheet: 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKQkk0cm9fMnVsNEE/edit?usp=sharing

As a PDF: 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKT0RPSzBQT015c28/edit?usp=sharing

As two images: 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKM3dLb2NmVTRDdms/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKZ0ZodmZHNFZVMkk/edit?usp=sharing

Testing Out The Dogfish Head Craft Brewing and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Spiegelau IPA Glass

Last Tuesday Dogfish Head announced the new Spiegelau IPA Glass, created in collaboration with Sierra Nevada, was finally available for purchase. Well, thank goodness for their online store, because I hopped right on and ordered a set. The craziest part? The glasses were delivered to my doorstep the next afternoon!

Unfortunately we had a crazy week getting ready for (sniff, sniff) the now-postponed Extreme Beer Fest, so we didn't get a chance to try it out until after the Fest, and our trip, were postponed. Before heading out with friends on Saturday night we decided it was the perfect time to crack open DFH and Sierra Nevada's latest collaboration, Rhizing Bines, and test out these glasses.    

Let the "testing" begin!

We opened up our cabinets and pulled down each type of Dogfish Head glassware we own. Here's what we were using:
The Pint Glass

The Dogfish Head Signature Glass

Dogfish Head Shaped Pint Glass

And the new Spiegelau IPA Glass

We evenly split the bottle of Rhizing Bines between the each of the four glasses. The first thing we wanted to test among each glass was the aroma. Our goal was to see if we noticed anything significantly different between each of the four glasses. 

Using the pint glass, the large opening of the glass seemed to allow the aroma of hops dissipate   especially in comparison to the shaped pint glass, and similarly to the DFH signature glass. In both the shaped pint glass and the signature glass the aroma of the hops seems to be heightened quite a bit. Comparing this to the new IPA glass, the aroma of the hops seems a little more subtle than we expected, but not as subtle as they were in the pint glass.  

We then wanted to simply taste Rhizing Bines in each glass (cleansing our palette in between each taste). Again, the pint glass seemed to provide the least beneficial sip of this beer. It was good, don't get us wrong, but it wasn't nearly as flavorful as when tasting the beer in each of the other three glasses. 

The hops were the first thing that hits your nose in both the shaped pint glass and the signature glass, and we definitely got a much hoppier taste when sipping Rhizing Bines out of each of these glasses. We realized how much more we enjoyed drinking Rhizing Bines out of both of these glasses over the traditional pint glass.

Then we drank out of the IPA glass. Oh, the IPA glass. The first thing we noticed about the IPA glass, in addition to the design being very simple and very clean, was the thinness of the glass. The other glasses we were using seemed very heavy and bulky now that we had the IPA glass in our hand. Another thing that was very noticeable was the heady foam in the IPA glass stayed behind as the others faded away. Interesting. 

Now to sip. As we mentioned, the aroma of hops is more subtle in this glass, but it really seemed to encompass our nose as we started to drink. The drinking experience, as crazy as this might sound, was just easy with this glass. The beer nearly shot down our throats with barely an ounce of effort. It seemed to make the beer much smoother than when drinking from the other three glasses. It was a little hard to comprehend that something as simple as a glass could create such an effect. The taste of the beer was different, not a bad different, a very good, very clean different. It tasted a though we were getting to the root of the ingredients, really getting to experience what the beer was meant to taste like. 

Something else we found rather interesting was the carbonation that was noted in the IPA glass. This picture is a little up close and personal action with the pint glass. Not super clear, but we think it's pretty noticeable the difference in the carbonation between this glass and...

...the new Spiegelau USA IPA Glass. Crazy. 

Our overall verdict: this glass rocks. Neither of us read a thing about the glass before we used it to ensure that our opinion wasn't swayed or influenced in any way. As Eric quite simply put it, "I want to drink EVERYTHING out of this glass." He's wondering if we can take it with us to bars so that every IPA we drink is lucky enough to experience this phenomenal glass!

Holiday Shopping at Our Delaware Breweries!

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!