RENO — With Christmas less than 24 hours away, mall parking lots have been full and shoppers’ tempers have been short. 

There is an alternative to rushing to the mall for last-minute gift buying.

Booze Brothers in Reno has stocked its shelves with seasonal beers, and beyond those offered for a limited time, the store also carries an assortment of about 400 different kinds of beer. 

To whet the holiday taste buds, the store hosted a beer tasting on Tuesday. One of the seasonal beers, called Fort and brewed by Dogfish Head in Maryland, runs about $16 a bottle and was among those being sampled Tuesday.

“It’s a great way for people to try something they might not have if they had to pay for an entire bottle,” said Booze Brothers employee Tyler Bartoo. “We get a different mix of people coming in here around the holidays. We set up one lady with a mixed pack (of beers) for her friend since people can put together gift packs.”

For around $5, tasters on Tuesday received a Chimay glass and access to the different beers provided by the breweries that make them. Delirium Tremens, New Belgium and Dogfish Head were among some of the breweries providing samples. 

“I absolutely despise going to the mall,” said Reno resident Jacob Fischer.  “So I decided to come to pick up some scotch for my dad and taste a few different beers for myself.”

Bartoo said that the different beers selected for the tasting reflected all of the customers’ different preferences.

“There’s really a market for all of these different beers,” Bartoo said.  “There are some really interesting flavors out today from a lighter beer that tastes like green apples to some heavier beers.”

Some of the beer samples packed a punch, like the Delirium Noel, which had 10 percent alcohol by volume, nearly double a light beer. 

Few of the tasters left empty-handed.

“I really wasn’t even planning on getting anything,” Reno resident Karen Parinski said.  “I guess that’s the idea of a tasting, though.  I tried the 2 Below and decided to pick up a six-pack of it for my husband.”

Parinski said that beer was a better gift than “socks or a tie,” adding that you can’t really go wrong with something that people can enjoy the minute they open it.

Booze Brothers is located at 2285 Kietzke Lane in Reno.