December is upon us, and you might find yourself looking for a cool Christmas gift your the beer lover in your life. Luckily there are plenty of exciting new releases heading our way, as well as some special edition festive box sets. And if you’re not shopping for a significant other but seeking some inspiration for your own Christmas list, copy this URL and send it to Santa, for here are 10 ideas for epic beery Christmas presents.

1. Drifter Brewing Ocean Aged Tripel

Those of you who have been around in the industry for a while might well remember this beer. This third vintage of their 10% ABV Belgian Tripel aged for four years some 35 metres beneath the Atlantic Ocean off the Cape Town coast. Bottles come adorned with limpets and barnacles and the beer is beautifully packaged in the kind of innovative way that you’d expect from Drifter (but I don’t want to ruin the surprise). The beer has proved a hit with collectors around the world, and there are only a dozen bottles available in South Africa. It’s pricey, but makes a truly special gift.

Where: Buy online at the Ocean Aged Tripel website.

How much: R1950

2. Soul Barrel x Afro Caribbean The Never Ending Boil

This yet-to-be-released collab is a truly experimental beer and will be released in very small quantities. The 17.5% barley wine-style beer underwent an extensive boil – around 20 hours over six days – to create a rich, dark, complex beer that’s ideal for post-Christmas lunch sipping.

Where: The beer will launch later this month – get it via Soul Barrel or Afro Caribbean’s online stores.

How much: TBA

3. Just Brewing Christmas Beer Box

Just Brewing has released a limited-edition Christmas Beer Box, available for purchase until 22 December. The curated 12-pack features specially labelled festive editions of six popular products from the brewery. You’ll get two 440ml cans each of Painkiller, SMASH It!, 1645 Lager, Wild Berry Cider, Herculean Hop Strike and Veloci-NEIPA.

Where: Place your order on Just Brewing’s online store.

How much: R350

4. The Beer That Stole Christmas

Another seriously limited edition beer, this collab between Afro Caribbean and Capital Craft is designed to take pride of place on your festive lunch or diner table. The idea was to create a beer so magnificent it steals wine’s limelight as you carve your roast beast. A Belgian Quad aged on sour cherries and lightly spiced with cardamom, it’s a big but beautifully balanced beer to enjoy with your mince pies or after dinner cheese board. Dsigned to age, only 100 750ml bottles will be released this year, with the rest launching for Christmas 2026 and 27.

Where: Order on the Afro Caribbean online store or try your luck popping in to grab a bottle from Banana Jam or Capital Craft.

How much: R360

5. Charlie’s Garage 12 Beers of Christmas

Each year Charlie’s Garage releases a limited edition festive box set featuring beers like Dreaming of a White Stout Christmas, Plinky the Reindeer DIPA, Grinch Granadilla Sour, Something Naughty DIPA and Something Nice, a New Zealand IPA. It’s a limited release of 50 box sets launching the week of 8 Dec.

Where: Buy it from Charlie’s Garage in Noordhoek – no advance reservations so just rock up and try your luck!

How much: R480

6. Starke x ACBC Chenin Saison

Yet another must-have collab from Afro Caribbean is this beer-wine hybrid brewed at Starke in Durbanville. The 10% ABV saison was fermented with Chenin grapes from a 40-year-old bush vine on the Starke family farm

Where: Keep an eye on Starke and Afro Caribbean’s social media channels.

How much: TBA

7. Tickets to Fools & Fans Beer Festival

What’s better than buying your loved one beer for Christmas? Buying yourself and your loved one tickets to go away for a weekend and drink a whole load of beers in a countryside setting!

The ninth annual Fools & Fans Festival takes place in Greyton on April 10 and 11, with Friday dedicated to tasting homebrew and Saturday showcasing craft beers. Plus live music from none other than Freshlyground (and also some beer industry cover band or other)

Where: Grab your tickets online here.

How much: A weekend pass is just R440

8. One Day Homebrewing Course

Shameless self promotion alert no. 1!! The date for our next one-day homebrewing course has been set for 31 January. Join us for a full day where we delve into the brewing process from milling to chilling! The course is held at Afro Caribbean Brewing in Cape Town and includes lunch and a beer or two. Suitable for beginners through to the more advanced – you’ll be in good hands with one of SA’s most awarded brewers Jake Sandenbergh sharing his brewing knowledge (and I’ll be there too, talking about tasting and judging beer).

Where: Drop me a line to book your spot.

How much: R990 including lunch, a pint and tasters

9. Monthly beer box from Smous Online

Sadly their craft beer advent calendar is all sold out, but you can still order a mixed box of 12 different beers for your favourite craft beer fan. Or for yourself – you deserve it! And if you really love them, you can order a monthly case to be delivered to their door throughout 2026!

Where: Order the December mixed case on the Smous Online website here.

How much: The December case is currently on special for R315

10. Tickets to BeerEx Africa

Shameless self promotion alert no. 2!! Tickets for BeerEx Africa are now on sale – and there’s a 10% early bird discount until the end of December! The three-day event showcases all things beer, with a fine-dining beer pairing dinner, a two-day expo and conference, an evening sipping your way through South African beer history and the African Beer Cup Awards Party to finish it all off.

Where: Tickets are now available on Quicket. Use the code EARLYBIRD26 to get your discount!

How much: Tickets start at R150