Tierney Pomone is our resident craft beer lover and fashionista at SaraBozich.com. Here are her picks for best local gifts:
For the beer lover on your list: Troegs Mad Elf Gift Set
Every year Troegs Brewing Company brews their holiday beer, the Mad Elf. Rated #1 by Joe Sixpack's Christmas Beers book and featured in Playboy, this is a highly regarded cherry strong ale with hints of honey and chocolate at a heavy 11% ABV.
Every year I look forward to seeing this on local tap lists and grabbing a fresh glass at the brewery's tasting room. Troegs offers a wonderful gift set including a 22 oz bottle of Mad Elf and a tulip glass (the recommended serving glassware) with the Mad Elf logo on the side. Share some rosy-cheeked refreshment with a friend, coworker or family member this season, especially those who live out of town and may not have Troegs distribution available.
The gift sets are available at the brewery's general store, and local venues such as Al's of Hampden and Anthony's Micropub (call for availability).
Perfect host/hostess gift: Torchbearer Sauces 3-Sauce Gift Pack
(Also recommended for any cook or hot sauce fanatic)
Torchbearer Sauces is a locally owned and operated condiment company whose products are “Accidentally Healthy, Intentionally Delicious.” For the past six years, Torchbearer has been hand-making all-natural sauces using only Pennsylvania ingredients that will rock your face off. From their Rapture hot sauce, the hottest natural sauce in production, to their delicious honey garlic sauce, Torchbearer has something for everyone's tastes.
This holiday season, check out their kiosks in the Colonial Park, Capital City, Park City and Wyoming Valley malls and grab a choose-your-own gift bag of 3 sauces for only $20. Also, try to survive the Zombie Apocalypse – that stuff is nuts!
For BFF, Mom or your hard-working man: Massage Gift Certificate from Polished Day Spa
Last year for my mother's birthday, I got her the gift of a full hour massage at Polished Day Spa in Lemoyne and won the daughter of the year award. Everyone needs little “me” time: a time to relax, unwind and let go especially during the holidays. And don't think men would be apprehensive about getting a massage! A good friend of mine is a massage therapist and reports to me that most of her clients are men who need some time to forget about the stacks of paperwork at the office for awhile.
Polished offers you many options as far as massages are concerned. I recommend going with the 1 hour Swedish massage with the tip included for $80.
