Socks are fine. This is better.

Every year, someone on your list says they don’t need anything. Then they light up when you hand them a beer they’ve never tried.

So here’s our short list for the beer lover in your life. Nothing to wrap, nothing to ship, and most of it fits in a text message.

1. A spot at the bar: Mug Club

The best gift we sell doesn’t leave the building. Mug Club members get their own mug, and it lives on the wall at the taproom, waiting for them. That’s the point.

• $85 per person, or $135 for a couple
• New members sign up on Black Friday, Nov. 27
• Current members renew by Wednesday, Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving

Buying for someone else? Just tell the crew behind the bar. We’ll put their name on the list.

2. The last-minute save: digital gift cards

Pick any amount from $5 to $500. Buy it on our website, and it goes straight to their phone. No envelope, no wrapping paper, no driving across town on Dec. 23.

It works for a pint, a night out at the taproom, or a full Mug Club membership. They pick the beer. You get the credit.

Buy a digital gift card

3. Something to sip by the fire: Menace to Sobriety

Our winter warmer is back for the season. It’s dark and malty, with a little warmth from the 10% ABV. This is a fireside, slow-sip, one-and-done kind of beer. It isn’t for a party.

Pick some up to go at the taproom, at 111 W. Locust Ave. in El Dorado. Want to know what makes a winter warmer a winter warmer? We wrote a whole post about it: What Is a Winter Warmer, Anyway?

4. A night out, not another thing

Some people don’t want more stuff. They want a reason to get out of the house.

Pair a gift card with a plan: trivia night, our Books & Brews book club, or a Saturday afternoon in El Dorado. Write the date on a card and you’re done. Our events calendar has what’s coming up, and our El Dorado day trip guide covers the rest of the town.

The short version

• Mug Club: $85, or $135 for a couple. Sign-up is Black Friday, Nov. 27.
• Digital gift card: $5 to $500, sent straight to their phone. Buy one here.
• Menace to Sobriety: to go from the taproom, for slow sipping.
• A night out: a gift card plus a date on the calendar.

All of it beats socks. We checked.