James Harris/CNN Underscored

The best gift to buy the beer lover in your life is obviously beer. You knew that. But what kind? They could be a craft connoisseur or a domestic diehard. Perhaps both. Or maybe an international option is more of a treat. There are a lot of choices. It’s probably wisest to leave the beer buying to the actual beer drinker and gift them something else.

So consider what’s essential when drinking a beer. It has to be cold. Freshness is preferred. Company and location matter too, because beers in the backyard, on the beach and at the bar each offer something different. To help you out, we rounded up our favorite beer gifts with the help of our alcohol editor Tobey Grumet Segal who’s been covering spirits for around 15 years, along with other beer lovers on our team. We rounded up everything including monthly subscriptions to rare beers, coolers to maintain just the right chill and glassware to accentuate every tasting note and more.

Looking for more alcohol-themed gifts? Check out our gifts for wine lovers, wine Advent calendars and gifts for whiskey lovers.

For the glass devotee

Swap out your boring pint glass with this stylish Beer Can Glass. It's the perfect shape to hug the frothy head of any brew, and it works just as well for your other favorite drinks. We especially like using them for iced coffee.

For the carnivore

Everyone knows very little goes as well with a beer than a big, old burger. Which is why Omaha Steak's Porterhouse Burgers delivery seems like such a delicious idea. These 6-ounce burgers are made from filet mignon and New York strip — which pretty much assures they are going to taste awesome.

For the daily beer drinker

Nothing against canned beer, but it's been known to be a little flatter than its bottled or draft brethren. Which is why we welcome this simple can-to-draft beer system from the folks at Sharper Image. Just pour your beer in the device and let the ultrasonic vibrations do their thing. Then pull the tap and you'll be rewarded with a thick, rich head.

For the sweet tooth

If you can't drink it, you may as well get your beer in your next sweet treat. So says Goldbelly, the popular gourmet delivery service which lets you order your favorite foods from around the country to your door. And these hysterical, and delicious, Crackable Cold Cans come in a four-pack of different flavored canned ice creams infused with locally-brewed craft beers. Cheers!

For variety

Give them what they want with this eclectic gift box full of beer gear. They'll get pint glasses, a beer recipe glass, IPA beer soap, beer socks to keep them toasty and Beer Nuts to munch on.

The cutest beer gift

Come on, how can you resist these mini winter coats for your beer? And, score! They even have a built-in notch to open your bottles.

Editor Favorite
For the light beer drinker with taste

Grumet Segal is a huge fan of Brooklyn Brewery, which is a hometown favorite for those of us in New York City, and this crisp, golden pilsner hits all the best notes — and comes sheathed in a cool, Brooklyn-themed can. At 5% ABV, she also appreciates that it's a lighter option for holiday drinking. And don't worry, it's sold around the world so you don't have to be a New Yorker to purchase it.

For the beer drinker with a good nose

If a beer drinker had to pick one glass to drink from for the rest of their life, this would probably be it. It brings out the best taste and aroma in any beer, from IPAs to sours and everything in between.

For those who don't like decisions

Every beer lover has stared into the cooler at a store and been frozen by the plethora of brews from which to choose. This subscription, which lets members pick their favorite styles and cancel at any time, helps alleviate the overwhelming decision by sending award-winning craft beers to their door.

For easy opening

Drinking from a cup is superior to drinking from a can. The airflow improves, and the brew's aroma is more easily enjoyed. This little device safely lifts the top off any can without leaving any sharp edges behind, meaning any can can become a cup.

For dog lovers

This pup was trained well. Each time it removes a bottle cap from your beer, it keeps the cap in its mouth until you're ready to throw it away.

Best Tested
To keep it cold

A warm beer is a worthless beer. Our favorite soft-sided cooler can help avoid such a travesty with space for 30 cans. It was our favorite soft cooler in our testing because it boasts the compactness and portability you'd expect, but in a durable frame usually reserved for bulky hard-sided coolers.

Instead of a keg

Yes, it's a splurge. But beer lovers tend to drink in numbers, and there's no hosting flex quite like serving from a kegerator. This model can fit multiple Cornelius kegs or one half barrel keg.

For the creative beer drinker

Part glassblowing studio and part craft brewery, the Pretentious Craft Co. based in Knoxville, Tennessee, is an internet favorite for its unique glassware. Its online shop has plenty of different shapes perfect for beers, but I'm especially drawn to this wobbling glass great for just about any drink.

For fans of tasting

These flight boards are perfect for bringing the brewery experience home. Choose from mini pub-style glasses or mini tulip glasses, and submit a design to get your board customized.

For the reader

Spirits, bitters, citrus and soft drinks are commonly used in mixology, but don't sleep on beer's ability to elevate a cocktail. This hardcover book contains more than 50 recipes that combine beer with the likes of gin, whiskey and much more.

For simple layering

Black and Tan, Black Velvet or Snakebite — any of these drinks are easily layered with this tool. Pour your bottom ingredient, place the disc on top of the glass, then pour the top layer and let it slowly drip through the holes.

For the art fan

Pick from any of the 50 states for this plywood cutout designed to house your bottle caps. It's a clever solution for anyone collecting keepsakes from their favorite local brews. Plus, each cutout has additional holes to easily hang your display on the wall of a man cave.

Editor Favorite
For bigger cans

This is the ultimate koozie. It fits 16-ounce cans and 12-ounce cans, accompanying the latter with a freezable gel pack, and will even house a poured pint with its leakproof lid our editors love.

Te keep your furniture pristine

Does your beer lover need hand-stitched coasters? Probably not. But will one of these sets from Smathers & Branson absolutely take their beer cave decor to another level? You bet.

For the home brewer

The idea of home brewing sounds fun, but it can be a lot of work. Pinter attempts to simplify the process by giving you all the ingredients in a packet they call a Fresh Press. Just dump it into the Pinter and add water, and after a few days you have 12 pints of beer on tap.

Stackable drinkware

There's plenty of great drinkware that looks cool and keeps beer cold, though rarely is it as portable and storage-friendly as these stackable pints from the brand behind the world's most famous water bottle.

For showering with beer

A shower beer simply hits different. This silicone can holder sticks to any shower wall without additional adhesives or mounts. (The brand also makes some of our favorite shower organizers.)

For the history buff

This complex wall art traces the origins of every beer style back to lagers and ales. It's fitting decor for any home bar — and a useful explainer for anyone tired of having to tell their friends about the difference between an IPA and a stout.

For the home beer collection

If their beer takes up too much room in the fridge, this highly rated beverage cooler can give those six-packs a home away from all the groceries. Its glass door looks great and its shelf arrangement and temperature can be adjusted to preference.

For parties

Your recipient will be covered any time they need to pour an IPA, stout, wheat or barrel-aged ale with this set of four glasses designed to bring out the best in each style of beer.

To keep your beer fresh

Growlers are often the way to go if they want to bring home beer from a brewery that hasn't been bottled or canned. This wooden tap, ideal for sharing a few pints with friends, comes with a 64-ounce glass growler and is a breeze to clean — just run warm water through it after each use.

Cool pint glasses

The best place to drink a beer is in the nosebleeds of your favorite ballpark on a warm summer evening. These pint glasses, available with the design of 30 MLB parks, give beer lovers the next-best thing any time they have a glass at home.

Best Tested
For the beach beer party

We've tested a lot of coolers, and this one remains our favorite hard cooler in testing. It's a gift that will keep on giving summer after summer because of its durable hard shell and capacity to hold 28 cans with lots of ice.

For the sober drinker

For those who truly love beer for the taste and not the buzz, one of our favorite non-alcoholic beers is worth the try. Our reviewer has seen friends mistake its hoppy, citrusy taste for the real thing — it's that good.

Why trust CNN Underscored

Here at Underscored, we make it our job to stay up to date on all the latest products, but we don’t just find them; we also rigorously test products from hundreds of brands to make sure every gift you give is a hit. We also know that you get tired of seeing the same gift ideas year after year, which is why our team of editors has carefully curated each of our gift guides with a selection of products tailored to the person, hobby or event you’re shopping for (though, if you’re seeing some repeat products in our coverage, it probably just means that we really love them). For this article, we used our many years as a drinks editor to choose the absolute best gifts for beer lovers.