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Having finished Thanksgiving and approaching the festive period, it is now the time to consider the essential gifts for those in your life who love beer. Thankfully, you will always have choices when needing to gratify the beer enthusiasts you’re shopping for.

I say it annually, but it remains true: Beer is without a doubt the obvious gift for those in your life who hold a passion for beer. The main difficulty is getting to know their beer likings. What type of beer consumer are they? Are they into experimenting with new beers? Or do they usually stick to their familiar favorites? Are they fans of local beers, foreign beers or beers from other states? Do they fancy cans or bottles? These inquiries can poke you towards the appropriate choice.

Choosing seasonal variety packs could be a safe bet. Consider products like Stone Brewing’s Twelve Days of IPA Mix Pack, Dogfish Head’s Holiday IPA Variety 12-Pack, Samuel Adams’ Beers for Cheers, Cost Plus’ Beers of the World or Costco’s Brewer’s Advent Calendar 2023. These provide 24 cans of German beer and an exciting method to tick off the days leading up to Christmas.

Another apt gift option is festive beer. Some well-liked options are Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Fresh Hop IPA, Anderson Valley’s Winter Solstice, Delirium’s Noël (a Belgian strong ale featuring a Santa hat-wearing pink elephant), Deschutes’ Jubelale or Spoetzl Brewery’s Shiner Holiday Cheer. For those who prefer non-alcoholic beer, consider gifting them Clausthaler’s Santa Clausthaler Holiday Brew or Athletic Brewing’s Fireside Brew Lodge Life.

There are multiple options for gifts related to beer, such as games that encompass beer themes and desserts modified with beer. Rather than driving fast to inebriation, these are games that are more contemplative and fun.

A beer-themed adaptation of Monopoly named “Brew-Opoly” (Late for the Sky, $25) could be a good option. Another entertaining game could be “Brew Ha Ha!” (Uncorked Games, $20), where players can create comical, uncomplicated, or outlandish beer descriptions by merging their cards.

Alternatively, there are games that educate about beer, like “BeerIQ” (Helvetiq, $25), a question-answer game that gauges your beer knowledge. Another fun game could be “Unlabeled — The Blind Beer Tasting Board Game” (Unlabeled, $30), where players introduce unfamiliar beers to each other, speculate, and identify the flavors using the game board.

For those who relish both beer and chocolate, you might want to explore Guinness chocolates. You can find beer-infused malted milk balls or chocolate caramels cleverly presented in imitation Guinness cans at Cost Plus. Also, Bruce Julian Heritage Foods offers craft beer brittle online in tastes like Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, Yuletide Christmas Ale, and India Pale Ale.

Gifts related to beer, like books about beer, are always appreciated. Several engaging titles have been published this year that come highly recommended.

A few years back, I suggested the book “The Complete Beer Course: From Novice to Expert in 12 Tasting Classes” (Union Square & Co., $35), which was initially written by Joshua Bernstein in 2013. This year, he released a thoroughly revised and updated version, providing a comprehensive guide on everything a budding beer aficionado or experienced sampler needs to understand about beer.

Every year, the North American Guild of Beer Writers, which I had the honor of co-founding, bestows awards for outstanding beer journalism. This year, the top honor went to “Ted Mack and America’s First Black-Owned Brewery: The Rise and Fall of Peoples Beer” written by Clint Lanier (McFarland, $40). This book narrates a captivating tale of an African-American veteran who acquired a Wisconsin brewery in 1970.

The runner-up was “A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects” written by Eoghan Walsh (Independently published, $14), which offers a unique perspective of Belgium’s capital city through the prism of beer.

Lastly, we have Des De Moor’s “Cask: The Real Story of Britain’s Unique Beer Culture” (CAMRA Books; $30), shedding light on the slowly fading British cask beer culture.

Enjoy your shopping—and your drinks!

You can reach out to Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com.