The days are running out to buy your friends, friendemys, family and fsigniciant others (sorry, all the rest started with an “f”) presents for Christmas. I say Christmas and not “holidays” because Hanukkah is almost over so it’s probably too late for that and I don’t know what other holidays people buy each other presents for so I’m being technically correct if not politically correct. Are New Year presents a thing? I’ll take two.
Anyway, here are some glassware gifts for your thirstiest loved ones. Stay tuned for more gift guides over the next week.
Major Scale Musical Wine Glasses
Since I got these wine glasses myself a couple months ago, it’s become commonplace for me to pull these out, fill them with water and drink my way down the scale. By water I usually mean alcohol.
If you’ve never tried to play the wine glasses before, all you have to do is dampen your finger and move it around the lip of the glass pressing gently. Your finger acts much like the motion of a violin bow causing the glass to vibrate like a bell. It’s fun. You’ll feel like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.
Music appeal aside, these are high-quality Spiegelau glasses great for a big red wine or a full-bodied beer.
IPA Glass
I raved about this glass when I first got it earlier this year, and I’m still raving. First off, it’s really cool looking. Whenever I bust this out in front of guests they’re always like “whoa, what the hell is that weird glass?” so that’s fun.It also happens to be an awesome glass for the hoppiest of brews, maximizing aromatic properties and head retention.
…and did I mention it’s really cool looking?
Watershed Rocks Glass
Earlier this year when I hosted the Drink Up Columbus two-year anniversary party, Watershed donated some of these rocks glasses as part of prize packs for us to giveaway. It took all my self control not to slip one or two out of the box and into my glassware cabinet. (I DIDN’T.)
Why? Because they’re just, like, really nice little rocks glasses. Square, sleak and minimilast. And also they’re from an awesome local distillery, so, represent.
$10 on Watershed’s website or in store
Growlers
There are a lot of places in Columbus to fill a growler – lawd knows how many more have popped up since that list was published. Pretty much every place sells one of the basic, $5 glass growlers with their logo on it, so collecting them from different spots can be kind of cool, although they take up a shit ton of space, and realistically, you only need one or two.
So why not get a COOL one? Instead of getting a screw-cap, get a more functional and aesthetically badass flip-top growler. Or how about one with a chalk board on it so you can remember what the hell is inside?
Flip Top Growler: $19.32 on Amazon
Chalkboard growler: $13.95 on Amazon
Note: Some places (most notably Barley’s Brewing and Barley’s Smokehouse) will not fill growlers that do not carry their own logo.
Local Brewery Pint Glasses
I collect these. Well, by “collect” I mean I have 17 sitting on a shelf and I haven’t acquired any new ones in well over a year but you can’t take my collector title away, ok?! Anyway, brewery pint glasses are cool. Breweries tend to have interesting logos, and some put out special glasses for each beer they release with accompanying artwork, so these are a neat thing for any beer drinker to have around.
Pint glasses are also one of the worst things you can actually drink beer out of, though, but most local breweries don’t sell branded tulip or snifter glasses, only pint glasses. Zauber’s the only exception I’ve seen so far, they have several different glass styles.
So buy the pint glasses, but use them as water glasses or decoration, and for actual beer drinking get the next item on the list.
Around $5 at local breweries. None of our local breweries sell them online currently… except for Seventh Son! High five, Seventh Son.
GOOD Beer Glasses
Spiegelau makes a beer connoisseur gift set that makes a great gift, partly because it has the word gift in it, mostly because the four glasses inside are a better match for every beer style than a pint glass.
Especially the stemmed pilsner. Honestly, something like that is all you really need to drink most beer styles. So unless the receipient drinks a lot of wheat beers and lagers, skip the set and buy them a more useful set of just the stemmed pilsner glasses, or any tulip/snifter/goblet-type glass, the kind that brings the rim of the glass inward so you can shove your nose in and take a big ol’ whiff.
Beer Connosseur Set of 4: $39.90 on Amazon
Stemmed Pilsner Set of 2: $15.49 on Amazon
(This is the third Spiegelau product I’ve linked to in this article, I swear I’m not on their payroll… yet? Ya’ll can write me a check.)
And BONUS: if you’re into wedding anniversary present traditions, “glass” is the gift for year three, so keep this handy for your current, future or next marriage.
Disclosures: Amazon links are affiliate links. Uncommon Goods sent me free wine glasses. Zauber is a client. I snore when I sleep. I am afraid of down escalators.
