What to get for the brew enthusiast

Shopping for that special beer geek on your holiday list is really quite simple —- just buy some beer.

That said, what to buy is often the more difficult question. Even if you wrap it up and tie it with a bow, a six-pack of American light lager isn’t festive enough. This time of year, though, beverage shops are stocked with lots of holiday seasonals, mix-packs and even gift sets with glassware.

American holiday and winter seasonal beers to look for: Abita Christmas Ale, Anchor Christmas Ale, Avery Old Jubilation, Bridgeport Ebenezer, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Great Divide Hibernation Ale, Hebrew Jewbelation, Harpoon Winter Warmer, Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale, Jolly Pumpkin Noel, Red Brick Winter, Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Sweetwater Festive Ale, Terrapin Wake-n-Bake Stout and Weyerbacher Winter Ale.

Among the ubiquitous winter mix-packs, Magic Hat Feast of Fools is new to Atlanta this year and includes Roxy Rolles winter amber and Odd Notion Winter, a tasty braggot that combines mead and ale with flavors of honey and chamomile. Sam Adams Winter Classics mix-pack features Old Fezziwig Ale, Cranberry Lambic and Holiday Porter.

Belgian breweries make some of the world’s most interesting and complex holidays beers, and happily there are a good number of them on the shelves now. Check for Corsendonk Christmas, N’ice Chouffe, Delirium Noel, De Ranke Pere Noel, Dupont Avec Les Bon Vieux, Scaldis Noel, St. Bernardus Christmas.

Whole Foods Market is offering gift boxes ($12.99/ eight-pack) that include a mixed selection of local, American craft or European beers (www.wholefoodsmarket.com). It’s easy enough to make your own, especially if you put together several large format bottles, and package them in a basket or ice bucket.

Beer of the Month clubs aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be. But if you know a true beer connoisseur, chances are they’ve dreamed of joining the Lost Abbey Patron Sinners and Saints Clubs. The small California brewery produces inspired, limited edition Belgian-style ales. New memberships were available to the general public as of Monday (www.lostabbey.com).

The 2008 crop of beer books includes some very entertaining titles that would make good gifts.

“Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey” by Brian Yaeger (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.95) is a fun and informative beer run across the United States. “He Said Beer, She Said Wine: Impassioned Food Pairings to Debate and Enjoy —- From Burgers to Brie and Beyond” by Marnie Old and Sam Calagione (DK, $25) is a lively debate between a savvy sommelier and a pioneering brewer as well as a handy pairing reference guide. “Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Brews” by Don Russell (Universe, $19.95) is a comprehensive look at holiday brewing history and tradition.

Leading up to the holidays, beer dinners and tastings are a great way to treat your special beer geek.

Chef Shaun Doty will prepare a four-course holiday beer dinner on Dec. 18 at Shaun’s restaurant in Inman Park, featuring seasonal beers, including Sweetwater Festive Ale and Anchor Christmas Ale. $65 ($45 without beer pairings), shaunsrestaurant.com.

Hanukkah vs. Christmas and Shmaltz vs. Terrapin is the theme for the holiday beer dinner Dec. 15 at Muss & Turner’s in Smyrna. With four chefs turning out six courses, and Terrapin brewer Brian “Spike” Buckowski and Shmaltz founder Jeremy Cowan on hand, this promises to be a wild night of eating and drinking. $60; www.mussandturners.com.

All three Summits Wayside Tavern locations will host holiday beer and cheese tastings —- Dec. 8 in Cumming, Dec. 9 in Snellville and Dec. 11 in Woodstock. The tastings start at 7 p.m.; $69.99 per person includes dinner and beer and cheese pairings. www.summits-online.com.

Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast.

btowns@bellsouth.net