Help me figure out "interesting" beer!

February 12, 2011 6:41 PM

Beer of the Month club or a variety of beers?

I'd like to get my husband a beer-related gift for Valentine's Day but need some help. I know that he likes "interesting" beers--whatever that means. I think that means not Budweiser, Miller etc. If you have an idea what this means, I'd love further clarification.

On to the question, beer of the month club for Vday? If so, which one? Or purchase a random assortment of beers at a beer/wine store?

posted by anonymous to food & drink (14 answers total)

Don't do beer of the month.* Look in your recycling bins to see what he's been drinking lately (avoid anything he remarked on at being shitty). Go on beeradvocate.com and look for beers similar to the ones he likes. You will win his endless gratitude for picking out good beer.

*My dad, with very particular tastes in beer, got signed up for one of those and has found that 2/3 of what arrives has been undrinkable swill.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 6:47 PM on February 12, 2011 [3 favorites]

Do you have a World Market or Whole Foods where you live? Either of those will let you create 6-packs with a variety of beers. Someone at WF will probably be able to help you choose them as well. If your husband has some beer in the house right now, write down what it is and take the list with you so you can show the person helping you.

Btw beer is what I want for VDay! I hope my husband gets the hints I've been dropping.
posted by dawkins_7 at 6:47 PM on February 12, 2011

Granted, I'm a total beer nerd, but I think beer-of-the-month and make-your-own-sixer are both sucker bets.

But the advice to note the beer he likes now and ask informed people for suggestions, either online or at a retailer, is excellent.

Too bad you're anon, because it's hard to name specific beers without knowing where you live--Dogfish Head and Brewdog are two decent-sized companies with a lot of 'interesting' beers, but neither has nationwide, let alone wordwide, distribution.
posted by box at 7:03 PM on February 12, 2011

'Worldwide,' dammit.
posted by box at 7:04 PM on February 12, 2011

Yeah...I think most folks who enjoy beer stick to a few favorite styles. I think you'd be better off asking your husband what he likes, looking them up on a site like rate beer, and finding other highly rated styled in your area. If you say where you're located and what your SO drinks, I'm sure you'd get much better feedback.
posted by pilibeen at 7:49 PM on February 12, 2011

I like beeradvocate a lot. Their ratings are excellent. If you can determine the styles or breweries that your husband likes, and select from that set where beeradvocate gives ratings of A or A+, you'll do great.
posted by germdisco at 8:10 PM on February 12, 2011

Alternately, does your husband drink beer from a glass? Does he have (or want) glassware to match the styles of beer he drinks? One website that sells glassware is Straub's. I purchased from them once, and hope to do so again. They gave me a discount when they announced a sale after I placed my order but before they shipped it.
posted by germdisco at 8:14 PM on February 12, 2011

I like the idea for nice beer glasses.

I would go for one or two good bottles of a special edition, limited run or seasonal beer from the best craft brewery you can find stocked in your area. For an extra special gift, try to get ahold of three successive years (like 08, 09, 10) of a beer that is made to age; for example, I one had a vertical flight of three years of Alesmith's barleywine and it was phenomenal. But it might be extremely difficult or impossible to find the past year's beer, but at least you know now, and you could start buying this year and each of the next three years for a really special present down the line, or give him one bottle now and one bottle to hold on to for "cellaring"
posted by slow graffiti at 8:51 PM on February 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Suggestions for beers like a Hefeweizen?
posted by rglass at 9:13 PM on February 12, 2011

rglass, here are the best rated Hefewizens on beeradvocate.com
posted by insectosaurus at 9:25 PM on February 12, 2011

You might consider a basic homebrewing kit. If he's into beer, the best way to understand beer is to start making it yourself.

Data point: I was at the homebrew shop this morning and a woman walked in and purchased a basic kit. I asked her what she was going to brew for her first batch. She replied that the kit was a Valentines Day gift for her husband. All of the guys in the shop commended her on being such a cool wife.
posted by JimmyJames at 12:51 AM on February 13, 2011

Seconding the homebrew kit suggestion. What better way to really appreciate beer than to make it yourself?
posted by Joe Chip at 3:33 AM on February 13, 2011

I agree with essentially all of the advice above.

I disagree with the advice about getting a homebrew kit unless you know your husband is interested in that. You wouldn't necessarily buy a foodie a gardening kit or even cookware.

If you want to go with a variety of beers (perhaps accompanying some fancy glasses?), one cool idea is to find a good craft brewer and buy one of everything you can find from them. Dogfish Head is perfect for this: they have a tremendous variety of beers, all interesting, some very good, some not as good.

Or, you can pick a style and do the same thing. Get a bunch of IPAs (India Pale Ales...different from just a Pale Ale) or Stouts or something and run with it.
posted by griseus at 4:58 AM on February 13, 2011

As a beer nut:

My favorite beer related gift was when someone bought me a wide selection of German beers. Schneider Weisse, Aventinus, etc. They were not style I was familiar with, so just getting a lot to try was good. Yes, I could have bought them in the beer store, but I never had. And it's the kind of thing you can go in and ask the shop owner to help you out with.

Second favorite gift was the appropriate glass for my favorite beer. But that had to be bought online.

Not very appreciated was the home-brew kit, which I still have not used.

The beer-of-the-month things I looked into (as a gift for myself) did not tend to have very highly rated beers. So you got something small market that wasn't very good, like a generic pilsner or lager.
posted by smackfu at 11:38 AM on February 14, 2011