In addition the barrels themselves, the company offers items crafted from barrels and staves. For instance, the wine barrel sink pictured here, both small and large benches, and a bourbon barrel stave coat rack that should probably come with a sign that says, “Do not lick.”

Hudepohl Beer Truck
• Hudepohl Brewing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1952 GMC Insulated Van
• First Gear Die Cast Metal
• Scale 1:34
Price: $24.95

The strap is adjustable to hold variably sized items, so when there are less important items to tote than beer it can still be useful. It works best on a top tube that is parallel to the ground.

More information.

Whether on the outside of your home …

Or even inside.

That seems important to us at Real Beer. We’ve already got plenty of candy, most particularly chocolate, to pair with beer. These stand alone. Not surprisingly, no Beercandy products contain a measurable amount of alcohol. Yet they still taste of beer, though some more than others.

Beercandy offers three basic choices: an assortment of caramels; BeerTaffy in stout and IPA flavors; and the HopDrops, hard candies flavored with Cascade hop oil and bittered with iso-alpha acids.

He didn’t fly to Norway this year, but per usual he also didn’t settle for shopping in one store. He begins, “This year, I kept closer to home, but the beer run was no less fulfilling. It took me to Whole Foods’ Cold Point Pub at Plymouth Meeting’s madhouse mall, where the bottle shop is just brimming with holiday bottles. Those silly Pennsylvania liquor laws that limit takeout purchases to 192 ounces had me hauling the first load of bottles (Corsendonk Christmas Ale, Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux) to the parking garage before hiking back for a fine-looking magnum of Mikkeller Red/White Christmas.”

Then he moves on, acquiring, among other things, Evil Twin Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room (Denmark). “Sounds more like an O Henry short story than an imperial stout.”

This is the 27th year the brewery has invited guests to view the holiday lights display, which visitors may access from Arsenal Street, turning onto Seventh Street and then traveling along Pestalozzi Street. On the first three Fridays in December, the tour center has extended hours until 8:30 p.m. and guests may bring their cameras to take photos with a Clydesdale from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tours include the historic Brew House,the Clydesdales stable and Bevo packaging facility,as well as a scenic view of the lights along Pestalozzi Street.

However, we do have a favorite at Real Beer HQ — that’s the Beer Cost Calculator, available for the Droid. The the Six Pack Equivalent instantly compares the price of any size bottle to that of a six-pack, making you a smarter beer buyer.

To play fair, we’ve got an i-option for you as well. That’s the new Craft Beer New York app curated by Brooklyn-based beer writer and Brewed Awakening author Josh Bernstein.

Find more choices at Google Play or iTunes.

The Deschutes Brewery posted this photo, taken in a Portland grocery store, on its Facebook page Nov. 2.

We had two thoughts: a) drink some Jubelale, and b) time to start working on our Christmas Wish List.

“Real Beer for the Holidays” is officially open for 2012 business.

Who: Percy Street Barbecue, one of Philadelphia’s top spots for barbecue, serving a straightforward selection of slowly smoked meats and homey side dishes canned beers and cocktails (900 South Street in Philadelphia, 215-625-8510).

What: “Beer Can Xmas Tree” featuring over 400 beer cans. This 8-foot tree took General Manager Aric Ferrell and Desiree Howie, a staff member and local artist, over 12 hours to assemble.

Why: Spreading Canned Christmas Cheer. Percy Street carries over 60 varieties of canned beer (click here for beer list). Most of the cans used on the tree are from Percy Street’s Six Pack Program, where guests select five beers and the sixth can is on the house. The beers are served in custom galvanized steel buckets (see the top of the tree.)