Black, oily, rich, viscous, and alcoholic, Russian Imperial Stouts are perfect drinking for the winter months.

Samuel Smith Imperial Stout
Victory Storm King
Great Divide Yeti
Stone Impreial Russian Stout
Founders Imperial Stout (2011)
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

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Beer lovers are notoriously easy to shop for. Give us beer and we’ll think you’re awesome. This holiday season, take gift giving to a whole new level by showing the beer lover in your life there is more to life than beer (pfft yeah right). Here are some of our recommendations for every Beerist, from the novice to the seasoned drinker.

Stuff to put beer in.

The New Belgium globes are John’s go-to glass for every episode, they are inexpensive (8.99$ for 2) and are a great start to any glassware collection. Logo glasses from a favorite brewery or bar are also sure to please. And don’t forget about glass (usually under 10$) or ceramic (starting around 45$) growlers. Here in Austin you can purchase an empty glass growler and get it filled for under $25! Stainless steel growlers (starting at 25$) are good for the outdoorsy beer lover.

Stuff to read while drinking.

For the book lover, know-it-all, or new palate in your life! Here are three must have books: Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, The Brewmaster’s Table by Garrett Oliver, How to Brew by John J Palmer. A magazine subscription is also a good way to keep your buddy in the know year-round.

Stuff to write about beer.

Does the beer lover in your life scrawl notes on any writable surface in the bar (napkins, coasters, your arms)? Maybe they just have a terrible memory? Look no further than a beer journal. 33 Beers offers a pocket sized one for easy tasting notes, while Moleskine offers a larger, more in-depth journal, packed with sections and information any novice beer enthusiast can use.

Stuff to wear while drinking.

It’s cold out there! Help your buddy stay warm with a brewery t-shirt, hat, beanie, or hoodie. If the gift receiver doesn’t have a favorite brewery, or is more of a home brewer, BrewHeads has an awesome mash paddle hat. There are also beer socks, scarves, and gloves out there. Happy hunting!

Stuff to make beer.

If you love beer so much, why don’t you make it?! Sign your beer lover up for a beginners brewing class, or an all-grain glass- and sign yourself up too! Brewing is a great bonding experience. Better yet give the gift of equipment! Northern Brewer, and Austin Homebrew Supply offer great starter brewing kits, but don’t forget to check out your local homebrew shop.

Stuff to eat while drinking.

Beer and food are a perfect pair. Treat your beer lover to a beer pairing dinner at a local restaurant. Or bake up a storm with beer baked goods. The Beeroness has plenty of tasty recipes (Anastacia swears by this recipe for chocolate stout cupcakes). TCHO makes a Beer Lovers Chocolate Box that is meant to be paired with Samuel Adams Winter Variety pack. Cheese makes a great accompaniment to beer, so why not buy a nice selection of artisanal cheese and beer for a pairing?

Stuff related to beer.

For those who have it all (or those who like it all), there’s always schwag: coasters, stickers, labels, and pins. These items can usually be collected at bars or brought from a brewery’s website. Mindy’s Beer Gear has awesome handmade wallets, dog collars, headbands and other items made from beer schwag. For those anal friends of yours who do not like to bend bottle caps, Mike recommends this Crate & Barrel Bottle Opener. For you lazy shoppers out there, don’t forget about gift certificates to bars, online shops, and homebrew supply stores.

BEER!

Last but not least, you can give the best gift out there: the gift of beer! A number of breweries offer gift, or sampler, packs. Look for Samuel Adams Winter Classics (as mentioned above), Southern Tier’s Superpack & Pack of Pales, or Global Beer’s Sour Power. There are also gift packs that contain logo glassware! Look for Duvel, Chimay, and Ommegang. A recent trend popping up is the ‘beer of the month club’, there are many out there so research carefully and make sure they ship to the gift receiver’s state! The Rare Beer Club & the Microbrewed Beer Club, Craft Beer Club, and Half Time offers a variety of clubs.

Knock back some liquid holiday cheer! Six winter & Christmas seasonals are on deck, we talk about Zwanze Day, and drink six more beers in our LIGHTNING ROUND! Strap in.

Anchor Christmas Ale
Samuel Smith’s Winter Warmer
Deschutes Jubelale
Avery Old Jubilation
Saint Bernardus Christmas Ale
Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf

LIGHTNING ROUND! (Not ranked)
Shiner Holiday Cheer
Sam Adams White Christmas
Full Sail Wassail
Bridgeport Ebenezer
Woodchuck Winter Cider
Sam Adams Merry Mischief

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Jester King Craft Brewery has been highly praised for their farmhouse beers since exploding onto the scene in 2010. Jeff Stuffings and Ron Extract from Jester King join for an in-depth discussion over their beers, their process, and philosophy. And remember: if you butt-chug, use a glass.

Le Petit Prince
Commercial Suicide
Buddha’s Brew
Das Wunderkind!
Das Uberkind!
Funk Metal

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Listener Matthew Fifer (THANKS, MATTHEW!) sent us 6 beers from Great Lakes Brewing Company to taste, Ryan starts things out already wasted, and Grant almost vomits. Cue the Solsbury Hill.

Dortmunder Gold
Oktoberfest
Burning River
Edmund Fitzgerald
Commodore Perry
Nosferatu

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So, we lost the Wet Hop show to the technology gods, but that’s not going to keep us down! Six delicious Belgian and Trappist Dubbels are here to save the day.

Chimay Red
Affligem Dubbel
St Bernardus Prior 8
La Trappe Dubbel
Westmalle Trappist Dubbel
Trappistes Rochefort 6

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Grant gets his own show, and makes us all drink Malt Liquors. Worst episode we’ve done so far. Best episode to listen to, ever.

Mickey’s
Olde English 800
Steel Reserve 211
HG Hurricane
Earthquake HGL
Schlitz High Gravity VSL

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Some of the most acclaimed fruit beers come from New Glarus Brewing in Wisconsin. We put 5 of them to the test with Austin Chronicle beer writer, Ivy Le.

Wisconsin Belgian Red
Raspberry Tart
Serendipity
Enigma
Cranbic

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I think Mike Lambert wants us all to be diabetic drunks. He picks six beers for us to try, and nearly kills us in the process.

Pinthouse Pizza Calma Muerta
Pinthouse Pizza Man O War IPA
St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
Deschutes The Stoic
Firestone Walker Sucaba
Cigar City Imperial Sweet Stout

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Cigar City Brewing Company from Tampa, Florida is making some really cool beers. In this episode, we try 6 of them.

Jai Alai
Humidor IPA
Guava Grove
Bolita Brown
Big Sound
Marshal Zhukov’s

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