The Three Cities boast eight breweries, and more recently two distilleries, each with a unique gifting opportunity. Here are the best choices from each, starting with the distilleries. If none of them speak to you, look into a gift card to your gift recipient’s favorite local bar or bottle shop.
WINSTON-SALEM
- Sutler’s Spirit, 840 Mill Works St., sutlersspiritco.com
The blacked-out ceramic bottles of Sutler’s gin are beautiful; tie a ribbon around the bottleneck and call it a day. If you need something a little different, consider a copper Moscow mule-style mug with matching shot glasses etched with the distillery’s logo, or snag a set of short tumbler glasses. - Broad Branch, 756 N. Trade St., broadbranchdistillery.com
The Triad’s distilleries both offer tours, and given Broad Branch’s proximity to Black Mountain Chocolate factory, take someone out for a double tour, capping the experience off with some dark chocolate and whiskey to go. - Foothills, 638 W. Fourth St., foothillsbrewing.com
Welcome to Hop City. Winston-Salem’s beer institution is known for its IPA-style beers, especially the Jade IPA and Hoppyum. Foothills’ IPA of the Month series ends in December, so buy a big bottle from October, November and December and present your loved one with a bundle of joy. - Hoots, 840 Mill Works St., hootspublic.com
The best thing to buy from Hoots for your Hanukkah Honey may be a T-shirt with the brewery’s logo; it’s gorgeous. Hoots recently released additional apparel options, including a shirt repping their Gashopper IPA, but unless you’re shopping for someone who’s previously endorsed a specific brew here, go with the more general choice. - Small Batch, 241 W. Fifth St., smallbatchws.com
This 2-year-old brewery is the Triad’s smallest, and only bottles a few of its products. But stop by Small Batch and peruse its bombers, or see if the folks there will sell you some of the brewery’s sweet specialized pint glasses — Small Batch releases a newly designed glass each month.
GREENSBORO
- Gibb’s Hundred, 117 W. Lewis St., gibbshundred.com
Gibb’s got growler game. Unless you’d rather give someone a Gibb’s hoodie or beer can-style glass, fill a growler with the brewery’s fantastic Berliner weisse or award-winning ESB. Figure out what type of beer your giftee prefers, and aim for that. - Natty Greene’s, 1918 W. Gate City Blvd., nattygreenes.com
Check out the Bunker across from the Coliseum and pick up a couple of larger, more expensive bottles from Natty Greene’s sour program, like the Hitchpost Gueuze Lambic. Natty’s also sells T-shirts, which are easier to come by during a weekly special at the downtown brewpub. - Pig Pounder, 1107 Grecade St.,pigpounder.com (GSO)
This pinked-out brewhouse sells beers in 32 and 64-ounce growlers, and offers pint glasses, too. Soon, Pig Pounder will put out 22-ounce bombers of its bourbon barrel-aged barleywine called Barbieswine, which it argues is “a perfect Christmas present.” - Preyer, 600 Battleground Ave., preyerbrewing.com
Greensboro’s newest brewery recently introduced a “crowler” canning system, allowing you to score 32-ounce cans of any of Preyer’s beers. The choices run the spectrum from a strawberry wheat to a pumpkin imperial stout or a red IPA.
HIGH POINT
- Liberty, 914 Mall Loop Road, libertysteakhouseandbrewery.com
No other brewery in the Triad can claim an affiliation with a steakhouse, so make this one a dinner and drinks with a nice night out to the High Point brewery and restaurant. If the gift isn’t for a date, but maybe an in-law, consider a gift card.
OTHER
- Non-alcoholic
The Triad brags plenty of non-alcoholic options as well, ranging from Krankies Coffee to Small Batch Kombucha (available at Urban Grinders in Greensboro). Maybe your father-in-law is more of a tea person — Vida Pour Tea in Greensboro has you covered — and bloody Mary mix from Jody Morphis (available at Blue Denim in downtown Greensboro) might be just right for your aunt. And who wouldn’t be excited about some drinking chocolate from Black Mountain Chocolate in Winston-Salem?
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