The Holiday Party

Keep the change ya filthy animal.

I don’t mean to alarm anyone here, but…

CHRISTMAS IS ONLY 17 DAYS AWAY!!!

As we are approaching the top of the holiday summit, our thoughts start to turn to holiday parties - some we are hosting while others we are just attending. Because of the traditions and norms of our society, many holiday parties are stocked with wine, booze, and a few cases of Budweiser for “those beer drinkers.” This, of course, is not okay. Those of us in the know will find the above selection disturbing, and subsequently will not enjoy ourselves.

What can we do about it you ask?

If you are the host of the party in question, it’s simple – offer crafty beer at your party. There are no rules that say a holiday party must have wine and liquor (and egg nog). Your party could be a craft beer only holiday party. Or, you could simply offer craft beer as well as the other things. You could even, if you wanted to be a truly gracious host, offer Budweiser, in addition to good beer, though I would not get a lot of it… try to convince people to treat themselves to better beer. In fact, I would go get crafty alternatives to Budweiser (light pilsner lagers or blonde ales) and sell them on trying something new… you may win a few converts this way.

I've come for your presents...

Another way to make your holiday shindig more crafty is to play craft beer related games, such as a craft beer white elephant gift exchange. Have everyone bring beer of their choice and set them all in the middle of the table. Then, everyone draws numbers and takes turns selecting a beer. If it’s white elephant, each person who takes a turn after the first person has the opportunity to steal from someone else. It’s probably a good idea to decide on a theme (local, hometown, seasonal, etc) for the beers ahead of time, or what size beer your guests should bring (bomber, six-pack, etc). For more tips and rules for how white elephant gift exchanges work, Google it.

Other activities that you could arrange in order to make your party more crafty (and better) are…

- Host a blind tasting where guests have to guess the style or brewery.

- Include trivia at your party with prizes from your local brewery.

- Have a silent auction for guests with a few rare or hard to find craft beers.

- Create beer and food pairings for your guests and have them vote for their favorites.

- Set up an educational display with different malts and hops, or visual representations of the brewing process, and information about your local breweries.

This seems like a great "everyday" kind of idea.

Unfortunately, if you are the invited guest and not the host, your options are limited. You could bring your own beer if you suspect that the host is not likely to have suitable options, but in many cases, that behavior would be frowned upon. At least, if you did it overtly. The key might be to covertly bring your own beer, by keeping it out in the car and “excusing yourself” whenever your glass is empty. You could also use the occasion to attempt to convert your unenlightened friends by adding the beers you bring to their beer cooler and “suggesting” they try it.

Of course, this only applies if your host has not already seen the light. If he or she is already a craft beer aficionado like you, bring your own beer, only this time, it’s not for you – it’s for them. Try to find something that you don’t think they have ever had before, or something that you know they love. You could also bring a craft beer related gift, for example…

- Bomber (champagne) stoppers: For the rare occasion there is some leftover beer in that cork and cage-style bomber, this will help save the carbonation. Don’t use the vacuum-style pump savers, as they will pull the carbonation out during the pumping process.

- Textured glass drying mats: They may have a wine glass on the package, but they are great for drying tulips, flutes, and other beer glasses too! The raised texture of these mats allows for airflow into the glass while drying, preventing the build-up of aromas and condensation that a flat surface or towel would permit.

- Label removers: Craft beer scrapbooking? You bet. This handy tool is basically a giant piece of heavy-duty tape that allows you to save a bottle label. If you want to go a step further, get them a scrapbook to put the labels in with room to add tasting notes.

- Bottle thermometer: To ensure proper serving temperature, these thermometers fit around a 750ml bottle like a wristwatch and digitally display the temperature, which is slightly classier than using your stick-on carboy thermometer. They also make ones for baby bottles that fit on 12oz bottles if you can find one without pastel baby animals on it.

- Bottle chiller: Ever get gifted a bottle of craft beer that you’d like to drink right away, but it’s not chilled? Violá! The bottle chiller is here to save the day by chilling that bottle in a fraction of the time it would take the silly old fridge.

- Glass markers and charms: There are a plethora of different ones out there, so you can be sure to find some that are just perfect. Or better yet, make your own!

- Cellaring tags: Bottle tags that make it easy to label, organize and locate cellared bottles. For the ultimate craft beer collector, cellaring tags are the perfect gift!

Everyone loves the gift of craftiness.

The bottom line is there’s no reason why your holiday parties need to be without craft beer. There are literally tons of options out there for pulling off a merry (and crafty) holiday season. Give the gift of great beer, and support your local breweries.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!