It may be something of a cliché to suggest beer for Father’s Day. It’s right up there with a neck tie or tools. But for most dads, myself included, being unable to pop down to the local bar for a quick pint or share a few with friends at a backyard barbecue, may have made beer the best gift you can give this Father’s Day. Plus, it has the added bonus of helping local breweries your dad already loves.

Under the shelter-in-place orders, most people have been buying flagship beers, rather than experimenting with brews they’ve never tried before. But it’s those surprises that make wonderful gifts, especially if dad’s fridge is only stocked with old favorites.

One happy outcome of the shutdown has been that many breweries are now shipping their beer throughout the state — some for the first time. In my neck of the woods in Sonoma County, both HenHouse Brewing and Russian River are shipping to customers’ doorsteps. Check the website of your dad’s favorite brewery and see what’s available.

If you’re looking for something special, try a beer that has been barrel-aged or aged with unusual ingredients. Anderson Valley Brewing Co., for example, has a “barrel series” of four barrel-aged beers, all available in cans. It includes a traditional Bourbon Barrel Stout and a barrel-aged imperial stout called Huge Archer. On the significantly less-traditional side, there’s Salted Caramel, a bourbon barrel-aged porter, and Old Fashioned, a beer that mimics its namesake cocktail.

Or you might head in a refreshing, summery direction with a wheat beer, a fruit beer or something that’s lower in alcohol, like a session beer. Mango Squeeze, a new seasonal from Anchor Brewing, is a great example. Anchor bills it as a “low-cal golden ale.” At just 4 percent alcohol by volume, this gluten-reduced brew is made with mango and pineapple puree. It’s available for a limited time in 16, 32 and 64-ounce to-go packages. Find it at AnchorBeerToGo.com.

And speaking of fruit, Lagunitas has a new big, juicy beer called Mozango. It’s brewed with Mosaic and Simcoe hop varieties, plus fresh mango juice. The 45 IBU hop-forward ale is available for a limited time in 22-ounce bottles.

Another big hop beer just became available from Firestone Walker Brewing, the latest in its IPA series known as Luponic Distortion. This one was brewed with three distinctive hop varieties, two from Germany and one from New Zealand, for strong citrus characters of dragonfruit and peaches.

Berliner Weisse is also a nice summer style. It’s lightly sour, low in alcohol and very refreshing. Stone Brewing has a new one dubbed Notorious P.O.G. In addition to the traditional ingredients, it also contains passion fruit, orange and guava. The combination of sweet and sour is balanced perfectly.

And although not brand new, one of my favorite beers of the year so far is Tiny Bubbles, another lightly sour Gose ale. This lightly salted beer was originally made by Hollister Brewing in Goleta, but the brand was recently acquired by The Lost Abbey of San Diego, which is canning it so it can be shipped throughout California. In addition to the traditional Tiny Bubbles, they also make a version with orange and guava.

Contact Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com.