GOING ROGUE: Rogue Ales rep Sebbie Buhler displays her dedication to the cause with Rogue earrings by Jen Roder.

I recently received an assignment to write a beer lover’s gift guide for the blog MagaScene.com, and the first must-include item that popped into my head was a pair of earrings. Yes, earrings.

Not just any earrings, mind you. These were handcrafted pieces of beer-derived jewelry that adorned the highly likable Sebbie Buhler while she repped Rogue Ales at last month’s Beer Bloggers Conference. Whether you realize it or not, you probably know Buhler: She’s the woman depicted on every bottle of Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. (Hence her Twitter handle, @ChocolateStout.)

SEBBIE BUHLER'S DAY OFF: Rogue Ales rep Sebbie Buhler logs a lot of hours talking about the beer that bears her likeness, Rogue Chocolate Stout.

The conversation pieces certainly caught my attention. As it turns out, Philadelphia artist Jen Roder converts interesting beer bottle caps into even more interesting jewelry—earrings, pendants, and cuff links. Buhler’s earrings, of course, were made from Rogue’s striking, silver-on-black caps. Personally, I’m kind of crushing on the bright yellow Dogfish Head cuff links. You can view the entire selection at Rotorcaps.com.

And as you might expect, Roder fills special requests too. “I do custom orders quite frequently and people send me their own special caps if I do not already have them,” she told me via e-mail. “I do lots of cuff links, especially for wedding parties—as in, favorite beers of the groomsmen.”

The Beer Bloggers Conference session titled “Craft Beer and Women: As Consumers, Industry Members, and Blog Readers,” which incidentally featured Buhler as one of three panelists, caught a lot flack for stereotyping females but proposed some well-meaning ideas for better integrating women into craft beer culture. Roder’s designs are a small but effective means to that end. Here you have pieces of handcrafted art that wonderfully commingle identity and femininity (in the case of the pendants and earrings).

Given those descriptors, Roder would be hard-pressed to find a better model than Buhler, who beer writer Jay Brooks celebrated earlier this year in his Brookston Beer Bulletin. “She’s without a doubt one of the best people in the industry and sets the standard that brewery reps should adopt and emulate,” Brooks said in a birthday message.

To see the rest of my picks for beer lovers of all genders, visit today’s MagaScene.com post, “Spreading Holiday Cheers: Gift Ideas for Beer Lovers (and Fans of Other Strong Drinks).”

Related posts:

1. Hopping Up to Portland
2. Portland Debrief: Part 1