The holiday season is fast approaching. And that means it’s time to start prepping your beer advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas morning.
A homemade beer advent calendar makes for an amazing gift for the craft beer lover in your life. Plus, it can be a fun holiday project for yourself.
As you probably know, traditional advent calendars contain little doors that reveal a small piece of chocolate or candy behind each one. And every day in December leading up to Christmas, you open another door.
But I have to tell you… as much as I love chocolate, by December 1st I’m usually craving something a little more spirited (if you know what I mean).
As a professional custom advent calendar printing manufacturer, I’m going to show you how to build your very own beer advent calendar. That way, you can treat yourself (or someone you love) to a tasty new brew every day until the 25th.
Why Make a Homemade Beer Advent Calendar?
You’re probably wondering…
Why go through the trouble of building one yourself when you can buy a pre-made beer advent calendar?
Great question!
Here are 5 reasons why making one is 100% worth it:
1. Select High Quality Beers
When you make it yourself, you get to hand pick all 24 beers. Most store-bought ones contain craft beers that are just okay. But since you’re buying each beer individually, you choose top-notch brews.
2. Save Money
Sure, it takes a bit of effort on your end. But in the long run you save a chunk of cash. Pre-made beer advent calendars can cost $100+. But when you supply your own beers, you likely spend half that.
3. Reuse Every Year
The advent calendar itself is reusable for years to come. Just refill it each holiday season with new beers. Any craft beer lover will be thrilled to receive this gift again and again.
4. Fun Weekend Project
Making the advent calendar is actually pretty enjoyable. Shop for beers, assemble the box – it turns into a fun activity you can do solo or with friends/family. Plus, you get to admire your handiwork every day in December.
5. Customization
Since it’s DIY, you can customize it however you wish. Select a theme like local breweries. Make it holiday-ish with wrapping paper or decorations. Lots of room for creativity!
Now that you know why it’s awesome to make your own, let’s get into the supplies you need…
Beer Advent Calendar Supplies
One of the great things about DIY advent calendars is how versatile they can be. You likely have most of the supplies already on hand.
Here’s a list of potential materials:
- Cardboard box, shipping box, wooden wine crate, etc
- Wrapping paper, tissue paper or décor
- Construction paper, cardstock or printable numbers
- Glue gun + glue sticks
- Hot glue, craft glue or tape
- Scissors or box cutter
- 24 bottles/cans of beer!
And that’s it!
Those simple supplies allow you to create a wide range of advent calendar styles.
Let’s explore some different options…
Beer Advent Calendar Ideas
The sky’s the limit when it comes to advent calendar designs. But most DIY beer ones fall into a few main categories:
Box Shape
This style involves using a cardboard box or shipping box as the base:
It’s likely what first comes to mind when you think “advent calendar”. And it’s a great option because boxes are easy to find and work with.
To assemble, just arrange your beers inside the box. If it’s extra roomy, add dividers between rows. Then wrap with decorative paper and affix numbers for each of the 24 days.
Christmas Tree
For the crafty beer lover, try stacking your calendar into the shape of a tree:
Start with the “trunk” made of 3 cans glued together. Then build the shape by adhering more rows of cans on top, largest quantity on bottom to smallest on top. Wrap each can and add numbers.
Finish it off with string lights, ornaments or a tree topper!
Tubes or Rods
Mailing tubes, plumbing pipes cut to size, pool noodles slice – anything tubular can work for this advent style:
Glue them into whatever shape suits your fancy. Square and triangular designs are most common. Then slip a brew inside each chamber and decorate the exterior with wrapping paper and numbers.
Wrapped Cans
For advent calendars on a time crunch, the simplest route is neatly arranging wrapped cans:
Just cover each beer can with decorative paper or tissue, sealing it with tape, ribbon or glue dots. Arrange them close together and add number stickers to the outside.
How to Build a Beer Advent Calendar Box
Out of those options, the box design is likely the easiest to assemble. So let’s walk through how to put one together.
Here are the basic steps:
Gather Supplies
First up, gather these supplies:
- Cardboard box or shipping box
- Wrapping paper
- Glue gun + glue sticks
- Numbers (construction paper, cardstock or printable template – link below)
- 24 beers
Prep the Box
Make sure your box is just big enough to snuggly fit 24 bottles or cans. It’s okay if it’s a tight squeeze. That actually helps the beers stay upright.
You don’t want too much extra space or beers may tip over once you start removing them.
If needed, use cardboard pieces as dividers between rows or columns of beer.
Cover Exterior
Wrap the visible outer part of the box with decorative paper. Holiday-themed works perfectly. But use whatever design you wish!
Add Numbers
Now for the numbers 1-24. You can handwrite them, but printable templates make it easier.
Affix a number sticker to the top of each beer. Arrange numbers randomly so the days are a surprise!
Insert Beers
Carefully place each beer can/bottle inside, keeping numbers in order. Give them a little wiggle to make sure they stand upright.
Also take a pic of the filled calendar before wrapping – you’ll want to reference it so you know which beer is behind each number!
Finishing Touches
At this point your DIY beer advent calendar is ready to gift! But you can add extra holiday cheer with string lights, bows, mini trees or ornaments.
Get as fancy or plain as you want. Either way, your lucky recipient is sure to love counting down to Xmas with a daily dose of tasty brews!
Bottom’s Up This Holiday Season!
There you have it – everything you need to know for how to build a beer advent calendar!
As you can see, not only is making one surprisingly easy – it also makes for an amazing gift.
So grab some craft beers and a box and start spreading the holiday cheer one sip at a time!