Christmas is right around the corner and if you are looking for gift ideas look no further than Brew it up at the corner of 14th and H St for gift cards, bottled beer and restaurant memorabilia. Here you can find something unique all your friends can appreciate.

Not only does Brew it up offer 22 of its own beers on tap, but its on-site brewery allows you to do it yourself and create your own suds to take home.

For around $140, Brew it up allows the master brewer in all of us to chose one of its fail-proof recipes and to create a variety of lagers, ales, and malts. For an additional cost, you can have it bottled and slapped with your very own customized label.

If making your own beer sounds too complicated, time consuming and expensive, don’t fret because Brew it up’s 22 handcrafted beers ?” from light American lagers to full bodied stouts ?” it has something for everyone.

We visited Brew it up on a Monday afternoon during happy hour for some beer tasting and appetizers. According to its Web site from 4 until 6 p.m., seven days a week, Brew it up offers $3 drafts, $1-off house cocktails and martinis, $1-off house wine and Monday through Friday a free appetizer buffet. However, during our visit there was no free appetizer buffet as advertised.

In addition, Brew it up offers late night happy hour specials Thursday through Saturday including $3 drafts.

We ordered two beer samplers with four different selections each in five ounce glasses for $5.25. One sampler contained darker beers like stouts and porters in one and lagers and light pilsners in the other. In addition, we added some spicy artichoke and jalapeño dip served with blue corn tortilla chips for $6.95 and an order of cheesy garlic bread for $3.95.

In to order to better explain the likeability of each brew we tasted, we assigned each one a point value ranging from one to five, one being completely awful and five being magically delicious.

For the lighter side, with a little help from our bartender, we chose the Golden Wiezen which is an “American style, mild and refreshing unfiltered wheat beer”, the Czech Pilsner “a complex and well-rounded Bohemian style pilsner with medium malt body, golden color and the assertive flavor of Saaz hops,” Ladder number two which is also known as the H St. Helles Lager, “a classic lager with beautiful golden color, balanced malt flavor and perfect ‘noble hop’ characteristics,” and the Nordendorf lager, “a dry crisp German style pilsner with crisp hop flavor, delicate hop aroma, light body and a clean finish.”

The Golden Wiezen was light with a slightly sweet, airy flavor and absolutely delicious. This unfiltered wheat beer is definitely a five out of five, perfect for the Hefenwiezen lover in all of us.

The Czech Pilsner, a two out of five, was bitter, but light with a slight aftertaste that lingers in the palette.

H St. Helles lager, which receives a three out of five was smooth and had an interesting nutty, earthy flavor. Last but not least, the German style Nordendorf lager seemed to boast a hint of vanilla or cream and received a four out five.

As for the dark side of the beer spectrum, we chose the Vanilla Stout “a roasty, slightly sweet, medium bodied stout with a creamy-mouth feel and a subtle vanilla flavor,” Oatmeal Stout which is a blend of “sweetness and roast flavors,” Nitro Porter, and Blenkel Stout.

The Vanilla Stout, which received a five out of five, carried a rich coffee with cream flavor and a slightly sweet aftertaste. The Oatmeal Stout had a slightly bitter aftertaste dropping its potential to a four out of five. The Nitro Porter, a four out of five, boasts the characteristics of a delicious dark beer with a coffee aftertaste. Finally, the Blenkel could not stand up to the others, lacking in strong flavor and receiving a two out of five. The Blenkel could be described as the dark beer for light beer drinkers.

Overall, between the amount and variety of beer selections offered by Brew it up; the brewery part of the restaurant receives a five out of five.

As for the food, the appetizers we ordered were not too impressive. The cheesy garlic bread, which consisted of 5 small pieces of sliced baguette, topped with butter garlic and parmesan cheese served with marinara sauce, was somewhat bland and flavorless. Compared to other cheesy garlic breads from TGI Friday’s and Black Angus, Brew it up’s fall far, far behind.

The spicy artichoke and jalapeño cheese dip was better, but still not amazing. The dip was very heavy, creamy and filled with cheese. However, the “spicy” aspect was pretty much non-existent. It would have been better if it had a little more jalapeño a little less cheese.

The food aspect of the restaurant receives three out of five stars. We decided to stick to the appetizer section of their extensive menu on our first visit and we were not overly thrilled with the result. However, it is possible that hidden in the other sections of the menu are delicious, flavorful five star options, but I can’t be certain.

Our total bill came to about $35 for two appetizers, two beer samplers and two happy hour-priced brews including tip.

After factoring in the beer and food ratings, all together Brew it up, which received Sacramento Magazine’s 2005 best brewery, receives a four out of five stars. This destination is a very worth while experience. Whether you decide to brew your own beer, sample theirs or grab something to eat, you’re sure to enjoy your visit.

Rating: 4 Stars

All of Liz’s dining and nightlife reviews are held to this rating system:

1 Star: Stay at home.

2 Stars: Not worth the gas money.

3 Stars: If there’s nothing else to do –

4 Stars: Better than most.

5 Stars: Proves that Sacramento is more than just a cowtown.