Secret Santa gift for men: 15 funny beer-themed ideas

The draw has spoken: you need a Secret Santa gift for a man, and not just any man. Julien from accounts, whom you bump into three times a week at the coffee machine and about whom you only know that he "quite likes a drink after work". Don't panic. Here are the rules not to forget, then 15 funny beer-themed ideas sorted into two categories: the clever small-budget pick and the showstopper that has the whole meeting room laughing.

Secret Santa: the rules to follow before you choose

Secret Santa rests on three simple principles, and most fails come from forgetting just one:

• The group sets the budget, not you. 10, 15 or 20 €: if the rule says 15, giving the equivalent of 50 makes everyone uncomfortable, starting with whoever stuck to the rule.
• Anonymity lasts until the gift is opened. An unsigned note, disguised handwriting, and everyone guesses who gave what. That's half the game.
• The gift should please the person, not just entertain the crowd. Humour is welcome; awkward jokes much less so.

What gift for a Secret Santa at work?

At work, we rarely know people as well as we think. Before going straight for beer, ask yourself three questions:

• Does he drink alcohol? If you're not sure, go for an object (a bottle opener makes people laugh even if they only drink bottled soda) or a good alcohol-free beer.
• Will the gift be opened at the office? Workplace rules often limit or ban alcohol on the premises (in France, the Labour Code and the company's internal rules both apply). So give the bottle to take home: it's for enjoying at home, not between two meetings.
• Does it work in front of everyone? The gift will be unwrapped in public. Aim for a shared laugh, not an in-joke only two colleagues will get.

Secret Santa gift under 10 euros (and up to 15 €): 8 small-budget ideas

A small budget doesn't stop you hitting the mark. These ideas make an impression without blowing the envelope the group agreed on:

1. 1A local brewery beer, with a note. One well-chosen bottle with a handwritten label: "to enjoy at home, not during the budget review". To choose, our guide on how to read a beer label saves you from bad surprises.
2. 2A glass suited to his favourite style. Tulip, teku, pint: a proper glass changes the tasting, and it lasts long after the holidays. See which glass for which beer.
3. 3Handmade coasters. Four cork squares, a marker and office jokes ("Meeting that could have been an email", "Circling back"). Likely a hit for laughs; for art, less so.
4. 4The aperitif survival kit. A jar filled with peanuts, pretzels and crackers, labelled "In case of aperitif emergency, break the lid".
5. 5A card game for drinks night. Offbeat questions, challenges, quizzes: enough to liven up his evenings. For rule ideas, see our party games with friends.
6. 6A beer-cap coaster. If you have a stash of caps, a cork board and some glue will do. The how-to is in our article on what to do with beer caps.
7. 7A premium alcohol-free beer. Breweries offer more and more of them, with real flavour. The ideal gift when you don't know, or when you know he doesn't drink.
8. 8A bottle opener that stands out. The Capblast sits on the bottle neck: one sharp push on the lever and the cap pops off. Compact and light, it slips into a pocket or hooks onto a key ring. The price is shown on its product page: check it fits your group's budget.

Funny Secret Santa gift: 7 showstopper ideas

If the group budget allows, or if you want your gift to be the one people still talk about in January, it's showtime:

1. 1The pistol bottle opener. Put the Capgun on the cap, squeeze the trigger, and it takes off, landing several metres away. No battery, no settings: a spring, a trigger, and a colleague who discovers a new passion.
2. 2The rocket bottle opener. The Beer Mortar makes the cap take off with a loud PCHHHIT. It's the object that turns opening a bottle into a little after-dinner show. How it works is explained on the how it works page.
3. 3The golfer's bottle opener. If your colleague mentions his handicap every break, Le 19e Trou is for him: once the bottle is open, the little articulated golfer putts the cap into the hole.
4. 4Around the world in three beers. Three small bottles of very different styles (a witbier, an IPA, a stout), with a card introducing each one. Our guide to beer types helps you put the trio together.
5. 5The tasting notebook. A notebook to fill in (appearance, aroma, taste, score out of 10) so he becomes the team's beer sommelier.
6. 6The "drinks for two" kit. Two small bottles and two glasses: a gift to share with whoever he likes.
7. 7The object + beer combo. A fun bottle opener with a bottle to christen it that same evening. The kind of gift that gets an "oh, it was you?" at the big reveal.

For more ideas beyond Secret Santa, our beer gift for men page gathers ideas for birthdays, Christmas or a leaving do.

Secret Santa gift for a colleague: nail the wrapping and the note

The best gift in the world loses half its charm in a plastic bag. Three details make the difference:

• Misleading wrapping. Put a bottle opener in a box that's far too big, or a bottle in a poster tube. The suspense gets laughs before it's even opened.
• An anonymous note that's about him. "For the guy who always opens beers with a lighter" or "Because you deserve better than a promotional key-ring opener".
• A clue for the reveal. A deliberate spelling mistake, an emoji you use all the time: he'll guess, or he won't.

One safety rule for bottle openers that launch caps

The Capgun, the Capblast and the Beer Mortar pop the cap off: that's the whole point, and also a reason to be careful. Aim at a clear area, never at a person, an animal, a face or a screen, and keep these objects out of children's reach. If your colleague christens it at the team Christmas drinks, make sure no computer screen is in the line of fire.

Secret Santa is about having a laugh

A good Secret Santa gift for a man isn't measured by its price or by how much beer it contains: it's measured by the laughter when it's opened and by the object you still find, months later, on a desk or in a kitchen drawer. If your gift includes beer, it's for enjoying at home, among adults, at his own pace, with water on the side. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health; please drink responsibly.

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