Father’s Day is this coming Sunday (June 21), so it seems the right time to start thinking about what to get for your awesome dad/partner whose kids are too young to buy him anything. I’ve rounded up a selection of South African beery gifts and conveniently separated them into price categories for you, since many of us are currently watching our pennies.

FREE

A homemade voucher

Get the kids involved (or if you are the kid, get your crayons out) and make dad a voucher for an afternoon in the pub. It could be a father and son/daughter date for a pint (assuming the son/daughter is over 18), or a pass for dad to go to the bar by himself. Best thing about it is right now it won’t cost you a cent, since he won’t be able to redeem it until restaurants and bars are allowed to open. Perfect if funds are particularly tight right now.

Under R150

A copy of Beer Safari

If you’re in Cape Town, you can buy a copy of this 2015 guide to South African craft beer directly from the author – me! Very extra special Father’s Day price – R140, with a dedication from the author! (You can also find copies for sale at Banana Jam Cafe).

A beer movie and a six pack

Grab a six-pack of your favourite beer – or of whatever beer the finances currently allow – and settle down with your dad this Sunday to watch Brewing the Republic – an uplifting documentary about beer in SA. You can watch the film for free here.

A blind beer tasting

Get to your local independent liquor store (or if that’s not possible, one of the big guys) or if you’re quick, order a selection of craft beers online. All you need is half a dozen different beers and you can play beer games with your dad this Sunday. Serve them blind, or if you prefer, blindfold dad before he tastes. You could ask him to guess the style, guess the producer or simply pick which ones he likes the most. If your dad is a craft beer newbie or cynic, it’s a fun way to introduce him to some new styles and hopefully help him find something he likes. If he’s a beer buff, challenge him to guess exactly what’s in his glass. And if he’s a brand-loyal lager drinker, grab half a dozen lagers (macro and micro) and see if he can pick out his favourite. You might just convert that Castle lover to a craft lager fan…

R150 – R400

Online brewing workshop

BeerGuevara’s Zoom workshop (R199) is designed to go hand in hand with their starter kit, but as long as dad has some all-grain brewing equipment (and ingredients) to hand, he can join in. It’s ideal for those fairly new to the hobby as it’s run by a professional brewer, ready to answer all of dad’s burning brewing questions.

Agar’s Mystery Box

If you’re based in Gauteng, Agar’s have put together a mystery box of eight of their beers. It’s yours for R220 if you collect from the Kya Sands brewery, or they’ll deliver for R50. Call or message Don on 083 607 0747.

A way to regularly get fresh, draught beer 

A glass growler is the gift that keeps on giving. The 2-litre bottles can be taken to certain breweries or restaurants and filled with fresh draught beer straight from the tap. Check out the selection at Bevplus and make dad a voucher for a fill of his favourite beer. Not sure where to fill it up? Drop me a line and tell me where you are and I will try to assist!

Beer and cheese pairing

If you’re looking for an activity to do with dad in this time when most of the things we’d treat him to on Father’s Day are forbidden, how about setting up a cheese and beer pairing at home. Seek out four or five different beers and four or five different cheeses and sit around working out what goes best with what.

Socks…and beer

The King’s Craft gift pack (R399) includes a pair of beer socks, eight bottles of Lionheart Lager, plus coffee beans, branded beer glasses and the now ubiquitous face mask. Order online by June 18.

The chance to choose his own beer

Grab a gift card from Best Craft Beer and let dad shop for his own gift. The site features beers from around the country, including a selection of limited edition, hard-to-find brews.

R400-1000

A beer-branded cycling jersey

Dad might not be able to go to the pub this year, but he can still go cycling (I think – I do struggle to keep up with the lockdown regs). Grab him a Devil’s Peak or CBC cycling jersey from Barley & Hops for R449 and send him out for a ride (perhaps also getting him a few cold beers to have in the fridge on his return).

A case of beer with your dad’s face on it!!

You can order a case of lager from Jo’burg’s OC Brewery and get customised labels with your dad’s face on them! You get 24 x 330ml cans in the case for R480, including the labels. You even get to make up your own beer name. Order on their website for collection or delivery.

A beer made with Antarctic ice

If you’re looking for something special to gift your dad, grab a bottle of Icebreaker from Shackleton Brewing Company in Cape Town. The beer – a dry-hopped Kölsch – was brewing using melted Antarctic ice cores, and comes in a beautiful gift box complete with a vial of Antarctic water. Grab a 750ml bottle from the Salt River based brewery (in Cape Town) for R499 or order online to get it delivered.

Beer, cheese and chocolate hamper

Get your orders in quick – you need to order today (Monday) to get hold of one of these sexy hampers from Drifter Brewing Co. You can choose between a mixed case of beers from Drifter’s core range or a 750ml bottle of the superb Ocean-Aged Tripel. The beers comes with four cheeses from Klein River Cheese, a bag of Santa Ana’s tortilla chips, a bar of Honest Chocolate and a face mask. They’ll even make a R100 donation to the Soup-A-Heroes feeding initiative in your dad’s name!

Over R1000

Cape Town’s fanciest growler

If you have a fancy dad, he might quite like the fancy growler from Aegir Project – a 2L stainless steel, insulated hydro flask. It comes full of Aegir beer and with two branded pint glasses, so you can recreate the Aegir Project experience at home. Pre-order online and collect by Thursday June 18.

An all-grain brewing kit

If dad is just getting started in homebrewing, or you’d like him to get started, get the siblings together and chip in for The Comrade – an all-inclusive brewing kit from BeerGuevara (R1899). Order today, collect before the weekend and dad could be brewing by Sunday!

Got something to add to the list? Drop me a line with all the details!