The Perfect Present for Beer Lovers - Feat. Beer52*

I always get stuck on what to buy the men in the family when it comes to Christmas gifts. When you’re bored of giving people socks and aftershave every year, there aren’t too many options left. When I heard about the Beer52, I thought it would be a fantastic gift idea and something unique. 

Beer52 are the UK’s largest craft beer discovery club and their boxes are designed to fuel your passion for flavour and help you to learn about what you’re drinking. Each month you can receive a box with a tasty selection of craft  beers, a copy of Ferment magazine and some snacks. I was really impressed by the Ferment magazine, it was packed full of fun facts, beer cocktail recipes, stories, gift guides and adventures in the global craft alcohol movement. It’s definitely an interesting read and packed full of photos too! Beer52 work really closely with the breweries they feature so you can be sure the facts are correct.

The box I received contained 7 bottles and one can of various beers. First up was the Littlebro Session IPA in a can. This apparently works well with grilled foods and spicy dishes and has an upfront hop aroma and flavours of tropical fruits and citrus completed by a refreshing dry finish. The perfect size when you fancy a small one with your meal. Next up was the Flower Power hippy Dippy all Things American amber from the Flying Dutchman. This has been brewed with Centennial, Galaxy, Mosaic & tettnag hops. Matured on a bed of hibiscus flowers this is a very unique flavour and interesting bottle design which I really like. When the founders of Mikkeller and Beer52 brewed a beer together, the Beer52 Mikkeller Session IPA Mosaic was born! I love that Beer52 include their own bottles because I wouldn’t have been able try them otherwise.

There really is such a variety in this box. My favourite bottle is the Rogue Ales Santa’s Private Reserve Ale. Perfect for the festive season. If you’re wondering how much this service costs, it’s £24 for 8 beers or £29 for 10 beers on a monthly plan billed every 28 days. You can also save money by paying for 3, 6 or 12 month memberships and get it from as little as £21 per month. I’ve got a discount code for £10 off, just use code CHRISTIES10 on the Beer52 website, that’s a fantastic saving on such a fun and unique gift.

Next up we have the Brewdog Santa Paws Christmas Scotch Ale. We have a Brewdog in Norwich so it was nice to see a familiar brand included in the box. We then have the Wiper and True Mimosa brewed with beer52 Berliner Weisse and a twist of orange peel.

Finally the last two beers in the box were the Fu*k Art - The Heathens are coming - ØL Beer. I love the name of this one! Last but not least was the Mordue Brewery Krampus - a traditional germane amber ale. Such a wide selection.

If you’d like to sign up for yourself or get a subscription for someone else, don’t forget to treat yourself to £10 off by using the code CHRISTIES10 on the Beer52 website, just click on 'Have a special code? Click Here!' (Underneath the Get Started button) on the home page. You can also check them out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

*I received these beers free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

10 Christmas Eve Traditions I ALWAYS take part in.

 I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love Christmas and everything about it including the build-up, the decorations, the food, the music – I love it!

There are certain traditions that we follow in our household and at work on Christmas eve and I can’t imagine a Christmas Eve without these!

1. I always wear something cheesy Christmas Eve whether it be a Christmas jumper or Christmas pyjamas in the evening.. or both! This year was no exception, and the jumper came out in full force!

2. The drive to work usually consists of the cheesiest Christmas music I can find. This CD set is brilliant, full blast for a full half an hour. There’s nothing cheesier.

3.  As I usually go to work Christmas Eve, myself and my colleagues all club together and put a few £’s in to get some festive food and I basically spend the whole morning munching away. Christmas calories don’t count right?

4. When I get home we ALWAYS watch The Snowman. I actually don’t like this film so usually pretend to be busy until it’s over. Works every time.

5. Whilst all the festive fun is happening around the house, we always track Santa using the NORAD tracker and have been ever since my sister was younger (she’s 11 now, but for me the novelty hasn’t worn off!) . It’s good to know where he is so I know when to go to bed of course!

6. For tea on Christmas eve, it is absolute standard to have a take-away. I ALWAYS go for pizza. I probably only have a proper take-away greasy pizza once or twice a year so I savour every bite. I also go for cheesy chips too for good measure – because clearly I haven’t eaten a lot today.

7. On Christmas Eve I always light my Christmas Eve Yankee Candle. It just really relaxes me and gets me feeling festive and excited for tomorrow!

8. I hang my stocking just before bed, I hope I get a stocking until I’m old and grey! I've had this one for YEARS. In the morning it’s always filled with goodies and absolute essentials (like face wipes, you can’t have enough of those bad boys!)

9. I tend to pile my Christmas presents in one neat pile so that in the morning I know where everything is and nothing gets lost in the piles of wrapping paper. I also make sure all the presents I have bought for my family are under the tree and not forgotten about in my secret present hiding area (no mum, I’m not telling you where that is).

10. I always end the night in fresh bedding. You can’t beat fresh sheets, and I always sleep better when everything is tidy. My cat loves fresh sheets too it seems..  

 

So that’s everything! I am well and truly in the festive spirit now and ready for the next few days celebrating!

What are your Christmas eve traditions?

 I hope you all have a lovely Christmas!