Classy glassware
My new favorite glasses are the Beer Classics from the 500-year-old Spiegelau glass works. With their thin, laser-cut, polished rims, these crystal beauties at first seem too delicate for slugging back beer. But sipped from a beautifully styled lager glass, a can of PBR tastes like the nectar of the gods.
Available at Amazon.com. Wheat, lager, stemmed pilsner glasses start at $22.99 a pair.
A splash of color
The 2008 Holiday Collection by Lolita is a fun set of hand-painted pilsner glasses decorated for the season. See them at www.designsbylolita.com. Available at area Hallmark and Kitchen Kapers stores, starting at $25.
Page turners
Even if you never read them, books make great beer coasters. Here's a quartet of new editions.
_ "Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, Most Unusual Holiday Brews" (Universe, $19.95) by, um, me. The first book devoted to the season's favorite beers.
_ "Red, White and Brew" (St. Martin's Griffin, $14.95) by Brian Yaeger. The cross-country beer tour of a lifetime.
_ "The Beer Book" (DK Publishing, $25), edited by Tim Hampson. A colorful guide to more than 1,700 beers.
_ "New Jersey Breweries" (Stackpole Books, $16.95) by Lew Bryson and Mark Haynie. An in-depth guide to the Garden State craft beer scene.
Sudscriptions
Attention span too short for a whole book? How about a magazine? (Note: I write for all three of these.)
_ Draft. Glossy, with good interviews and overviews of the beer scene in cities across America. www.draftmag.com, year's subscription $19.99.
_ All About Beer. Focuses on the industry, with in-depth looks at beer styles and brewing. www.allaboutbeer.com, $19.99 (six issues).
_ Beer Advocate. Designed for the most serious beer wonks, with very good, opinionated tasting notes. www.beeradvocate.com, $30.
The ultimate bar
