Givethembeer.com is the craft beer equivalent of all those gourmet fruit baskets out there.
Based in Pinellas Park, Givethembeer.com is run by wife-and-husband team Kym and Joe Toner, who ship crates, buckets and briefcases full of local and national brews around the country. The business has shipped more than 3,000 hand-curated beer gifts, many of them stocked with Bay area-made beer, since its launch last year. A large percent of the baskets get sent to the West Coast.
Folks choose from various arrangements of suds, including beer bouquets focused on top-rated brews, Belgian ales and IPAs. Sweet and salty bites, decorative paper shred and a personalized message are included in every gift, too.
While the top-rated basket highlights beers ranked 92 or higher on the BeerAdvocate and RateBeer websites, the build-your-own package — where several locals like St. Pete Brewing Company, Coppertail Brewing Co. and Florida Avenue Brewing Co. are featured — lets people pick from the company's 125-plus offerings.
The baskets, which may be ordered in six or 12 packs, are priced between about $70 and $140.
Though the gift-giving season is months away, the Toners' tagline, "When Life Happens...Give Them Beer!," is rooted in the idea that "beer doesn't need an occasion."
