Father’s Day is upon us yet again, but instead of going with the usual tie, tool or other standard “man gift” this year, buy him something he will truly want and use — beer! Beer-related gifts are growing in popularity and Father’s Day is the perfect time to show him how much you truly care. It also provides a good excuse to open a cold beer with your old man.

So here is a short list of great gift ideas for your father:

Homebrew Kit: Homebrewing is a great hobby for any beer lover. It is a fun way for dad to learn more about many of his favorite beer styles. He will also spend quality time with the beers he loves in trying to deconstruct them and brew them himself. The kits themselves are fairly inexpensive to start and can grow into a full-on basement brewery as the interest grows. Visit one of the local homebrew shops, and they can go over everything you need to get started. There are also several online outlets for kits and brewing ingredients including More Beer and Northern Brewer.

Spiegelau Craft Beer Glasses: The never-ending array of craft beers available has given rise to an impressive array of beer glasses. However, if your father is serious about his beer, and who isn’t, the next step is toward proper glassware. If he is a fan of IPAs, he should be drinking them from Spiegelau’s IPA glass. Stouts have a great glass that is thin and perfectly tapered. There is also an excellent wheat beer glass. All the glasses were created through collaborations with breweries and are the perfect accompaniment to dads world-class beers.

Beer Bathing Products: That’s right; beer is not just meant to make you feel good, but can also be used to make you look and smell good. Companies like the Beer Soap Company are proof of that, making soaps using: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Chimay Red. You can order these soaps from TheBeerSoapCompany.com. If you are looking to wash even more using beer, check out Duffy’s. The company has created the craft beer ESB Shampoo to round out the beer cleaning experience for your father.

Brewery Gear: Breweries have a seemingly endless array of promotional products available for loyal drinkers, but you should go beyond the typical pint glass for dear old dad. Instead, look into getting him a shirt promoting his favorite brewery so he can proclaim to everyone around him the joys of drinking great beer. Check some local craft beer sellers for shirts or go directly to the brewery website as most have store fronts for their online merchandise.

Beer-infused sauces: Summer is filled with cookouts and few drinks go better with barbecue than beer. There are a lot of great products that have begun incorporating beer into their food. Stone Brewing Co. produces a delicious mustard grilling sauce with their equally delicious Ruination IPA integrated into it. If dad prefers a bit of heat, there is a brand new hot sauce that is a great choice. Eat Beer Hotsauce has created a Nor-Cal Mole with the perfect amount of bite that has Anderson Valley’s Barney Flats worked into the recipe, creating a hot sauce that is perfect for grilled meats with a slightly sweet heat kick.

This is the time of year we celebrate dad, and getting him beer-related gifts not only shows him that you care but also is a great way to help him relax as the blistering heat of the summer closes in. So raise a glass to your dad and share a nice beer together this year. Cheers to all the dads out there!

Eat Beer Hotsauce can be a spicy, beer-infused, culinary treat for dad.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Eat-Beer.jpgEat Beer Hotsauce can be a spicy, beer-infused, culinary treat for dad. Submitted photo

By Derek Warren

For Weekender

Derek Warren is a beer fanatic, avid homebrewer and beer historian. Derek can be heard weekly on the Beer Geeks Radio Hour at noon on Sundays on WILK 103.1 FM with past episodes available on iTunes.