Finding the perfect gift for the craft-beer lovers on your list just got easier with offerings from four local makers of gifts related to beers and spirits. We found these makers at 4 Hands Brewing's annual Beer Bazaar, on November 26, though you can find more beer-centric gifts this weekend at O’Fallon Brewery’s Shop and Sip Craft Fair, on Sunday from noon–4 p.m.
Weston & Wade Chocolate Co.'s Spirited Chocolate Truffles
Crystal Schilling of Weston & Wade Chocolate Co. brought chocolate truffles laced with good hooch. (She’s working on beer truffles but hasn’t quite perfected the ratios just yet. “I’m not getting enough of the beer flavor in my experiments," she says, "but we’re close.”) Among the spirited truffles: Smoke + Rye (Rittenhouse rye and a special smoked sea salt) Brandy + Eggnog, and Spiced Wine (a riff on mulled wine with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and orange zest). She also makes a faux-gin truffle using a cranberry purée with juniper berries. “We call it Gin and Juice, but it’s non-alcoholic,” she says. Look for her chocolates at Mac’s Local Buys in Dogtown, O’Fallon Brewery’s Shop and Sip Craft Fair this Sunday, Olive Ovations next Saturday, and the Eureka Farmers' Market on December 21.
Twinkle Brew's Bright Lights
Mollie Anderson of Twinkle Brews encases some of her handmade candles in stylish craft beer cans. For others, she shears the neck off craft beer bottles with eye-catching labels, polishes the lip, and pours pillar candles that cast a soft glow and perfume the air with the heady scents of the great beers that formerly inhabited the bottle. Every candle is hand-poured and made from 100 percent soy wax, lead-free wicks, and top-quality aromatics. Shop Twinkle Brews at the Urban Chestnut Winter Markets this Saturday from 2– 6 p.m. and at O’Fallon Brewery’s Shop and Sip Craft Fair this Sunday. Find them every day at these retail shops.
BTR Woodworks' Old-Fashioned Bottle Openers and New-Fangled Wooden Ornaments
Brandon Rotz and his wife, Liz, of BTR Woodworks make a bottle opener designed to keep craft bottle caps in perfect condition post-opening for collectors, artists, and beer geeks. “We make them from whiskey-barrel staves that once held good Kentucky whiskey, then aged a local craft beer," Brandon says, adding that the openers can be personalized. “Liz does the graphic design; I do the woodworking.” He’s also created old-fashioned openers with weathered woods that resemble old posts, with a magnet to catch the caps. IPA fans may like his hops ornaments, while fans of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation might opt for the iconic ‘Sh—er’s full’ tree decoration.
Walter’s Creek Natural Products' Beer Soap
When Ellen and Jacob Quernheim of Walter's Creek looked for ways to use the natural beeswax from their apiary, they decided to make soaps and natural beauty products. “We add beer to our soaps to increase the sudsing,” says Ellen. “Water alone produces fewer suds than beer.” For the 4 Hands beer bazaar, the couple used 4 Hands beers, adding fragrances that matched the beers. “The beer doesn’t deliver the fragrance on its own,” says Ellen. “We pick out the base notes and add them back in.”
The Quernheims' apiary in Waterloo caught the attention of another local brewery as well. “Stubborn German premiered our soap at their brewery on Black Friday," says Ellen. "We used three of their beers, and the soap bars sold really well." Stubborn German now continues to carry the bars bearing its label. Now you can quaff a beer, buy a bar, stuff a stocking, and shower with the sweet scent of craft beers.
