Support local crafters with your holiday shopping

Thirst Team

Skip the Black Friday mobs. Instead, head to your local brewery or distillery for some holiday libations for yourself and some cool gifts for everyone else.

Whether starting or adding to a collection, here’s a list of essential must-haves for the impassioned craft connoisseur. For generic beer-themed items we offer up suggestions, but for particular crafts or favorite breweries, try an outing to the tap room (or website) for their best selection. If beer is not your thing, we’ve included a few bonus ideas as well.

Hat

Do they have a head? A big one? Go for trucker. Or else stay with the classic ball cap. In either case, make sure it’s adjustable. Want stylish? Try a beanie or knitted hat with a pompom. For the life of the party? A large-brimmed sun hat is appropriate because they most likely forgot to apply SPF.

Tin Sign, aka, ‘Tacker’

The workshop, basement bar, or garage can always use some extra cred. A tin sign is more than a mere sticker, it’s made out of metal and nearly indestructible. It exists FOREVER. Double check that they love a particular brewery or beer because it’s a big obligation for sacred wall space. For Colorado craft brewery options including Diebolt, Odell and Left Hand, visit www.tintackers.com.

Style-appropriate glassware

Need to impress? We gotcha covered. Sure, one has pub glasses, probably dozens. But what about a Hefeweizen vase or Sour stemmed-tulip? Pretty sure they don’t own an authentic Kölsch stange either. A proper glass for a particular beer screams I’M NOT AN AMATEUR. Purchase a pair because the recipient is bound to get so excited, they’ll break one.

Dog Stuff

Collapsible drinking bowl? Bandana? Also, what color coordinates well with fur? So many options for Fido. Cats … not so much. If going with a specific brewery, choose the owner’s favorite, because more than likely it’s his too. If committing to a collar and coordinating leash, look for adjustability and a smooth interior to prevent chafing and premature hair loss.

T-shirt

Yes, they have one already. But they need MORE. One can never have too many t-shirts touting beer. Also, it may be time to refresh the closet due to chicken wing stains, discolored armpits, and/or a burn hole from that ill-advised project requiring a blow torch. We recommend sizing up, because, you know … beer. When confronted with choices, go for the classic logo.

Tap Handle

You’re so incredibly thoughtful. For the serious craft lover who owns a keezer/kegerator and orders up sixtels on a regular basis, you just knocked it out of the park. Why identify beers with a post-it-note when you can gift an authentic tap handle from the actual brewery? And for homebrewers? Plug your ears for their screams of delight with a custom handle.

Photo: Courtesy Onesie for Onesie on Etsy

Baby Item

Get ready for awwws. That precious baby looks cute already, but throw on a beer-themed onesie over their diapered behind and prepare for over-the-top adulation. People will demand photos. Select a neutral color for families who like to hand down. It’s going to get a lot of mileage. Also, the funnier the better, because babies like attention. In fact, they’re really needy.

Bike Jersey

A larger financial commitment, but any Colorado cyclist brave enough to wear bike shorts in public deserves one. Priced around $100, they’re not out of line with ho-hum cycling jerseys that cost the same. Plus, it’s personal. And totally cool. Generally, go one size larger (at least) and look for a silicone waist grip so it doesn’t ride up over the beer belly.

Bourbon

Breckenridge Distillery’s award-winning Breckenridge Bourbon soaks up the charm of their own aged Colorado Rum casks, creating an unstoppable wave of flavor in their Rum Cask Finish. Notes of candied apple and cinnamon enfold, as dark chocolate and cacao follow. Lingering allspice captivates the senses, gratifying in just one sip, but mysterious enough to leave you wanting another. Shop local.

Vodka

It was voted Best Craft Vodka in America by the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and was awarded the “Best in Vodka” at the 2021 Judging of Craft Spirits. Wood’s San Luis Valley Potato Vodka delivers everything you want in a potato vodka - great mouthfeel and body, mild sweetness, vanilla, and a clean finish. Local potatoes sourced from Colorado’s San Luis Valley combined with distillation at over 7,000 feet make this an outstanding spirit.

Wrist watch

For over 15 years, connoisseurs of beautiful engineering at Frederique Constant have honored the union of automobiles and watchmaking with the limited Vintage Rally series, created in tribute to the legendary Austin – Healey. Authenticated by the original “Healey” logo marked on the dial, the new Vintage Rally Healey Automatic Small Seconds features an all-grey color palette. It features a 38-hour power reserve, stainless steel 40mm case, convex sapphire crystal, grey calf leather strap, and is water resistant up to 5 ATM.

Each Vintage Rally Healey watch will be presented in a special case with a collector mini Healey car. Limited Edition to 888 pieces.

Available at Right Time Watches, Highlands Ranch, 303-862-3900, or RightTime.com