Beer gifts you have received...

Along those lines... My parents always buy me VIP tix to a beer fest that happens around my area annually with some good offerings like Bourbon County, Bell's Batch series, Hopslam (February event), many FFF's, and so on...

I go to beer events all year and never buy VIP b/c getting in 30-60 mins before the GA's and access to certain beers is usually not worth it... I've had everything these events can usually offer. But this one is worth the VIP price.

I got Dogfish Head IPA glasses from my sister two weeks ago for my bday.

 

None yet, but my oldest has my name for Christmas and I have been dropping hints like mad. So hopefully I can tell ya after Dec 25.

 

About a year ago I was helping a local tap house get off the ground. On our grand opening my very first customers were an awesome older couple that had been anxiously waiting for us to open the doors. They at first didn't strike me as your typical beer nerd/lover but as a beer tender I know never to judge a book. We started a normal conversation about beer styles, favorites, beers we'd love to have etc. Eventually the conversation lead to us naming some of our favorite breweries, as the sweet older lady perked up and said she use to be a beer tender at a brewery in a place called Munster. I almost snapped my neck with excitement....sure enough this lady was one of the original employees and investors at 3floyds. In all honesty I didn't immediately believe it (again, looked nothing remotely close to the part) but not only was I wrong she proved me wrong in style as she quickly ran home to bring me back a bottle of '10 Dark Lord. Needless to say this sweet older couple are now dear friends who I share with often and of course, have their own seats at the bar. I have met a lifetime of contacts in the industry through them at this point and have gained incredible friends in them. The gifts keep coming. Thank you always Karen and Tom Pickles !!

 

Dude that is awesome.

 

Christmas presents over the years (no joke) and only because my Father-in-Law works there, otherwise there's no way I'd have this amazing beer in my cellar. The autographed bottle is the only empty one of the four and saving the rest for special occasions.



And it was pretty cool to meet Jim in person, he's a really nice guy! Being a nerd, I wanted him to sign the bottle. (The only one I had at the time.)

 

More mundane than the previous posts but no less appreciated, one year for Chistmas my parents got me a "Chillsner", which is a metal rod you freeze beforehand and put into a warm beer to quickly cool it down (in practice it gets it maybe 5-10 degrees cooler), as well as the books "1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die" and the "Oxford Companion to Beer". Both books have provided much education and hours of fascination. I am very grateful for them, especially because my parents aren't exactly approving of the volume of my beer consumption but still wanted to show me they pay attention to my interests. I reward them by letting them taste all the new beers I try (when it comes to sours that more turns into a punishment).

 

It's been great for discovering classic beers, but I feel like it's quickly becoming antiquated with the current rate of new, amazing breweries/beers coming out. Of course, I still treasure my copy (and still want to try all 1001 of them... I'm guessing I've ticked maybe 50 of them...)

 

I received the Bell's Planet Series in October for my birthday. That was a very cool present.

 

Schwing! This takes the cake.

My dudes come and go and they hook me up all the time, I do the exact same thing. Bourbon county here we come!

 

The only beer related Christmas gift that I've ever received other than a case of macro lager (Yes, I've gotten a few of those for Christmas in the past) was a mixed six variety of craft beers and a beer advocate bottle opener! I was really thankful that day for a close relative who is also into craft.

 

When a good friend of mine went to Ireland she brought me back a guinness shirt from the brewery. Its amazing that a EU large is smaller than most US smalls... not sure if this counts!

 

Back in 13 a close friend, whom I actually met in line at Founders for KBS release not 12 months earlier, gifted me a bottle of Black Note (large format, caged & corked) as a present after my son was born. Not the rarest beer in the world, but he wrote a congratulatory message in metallic sharpie on the bottle and I've got it proudly displayed to this day.

Funny side note, I had stashed it away until this past spring when we got together to watch the Mayweather v. Pacquiao fight. Cracked it with him, along with some other beers, and ended up getting buzzed enough to fall asleep and miss the fight.

 

For me it was a beer making kit. Opened up a nice hobby when I finally got around to it.

 

$100 WOB gift card.

 

one of my employees brought me a Maine Dinner the day before my birthday a few weeks ago

 

Pale in comparison to the great stories, but kinda shows how cool my wife. Birthday saw a spiffy new stainless boil kettle and a wort chiller, and Christmas usually sees a stash of brewing/beer books under the tree.

My boss a few years ago gave me the Ommegang holiday gift pack and I am embarrassed to admit I don't remember the three beers in the box. Funny in that I ran into him in the package store and suggested the boxed set as an upgrade over some other stuff he was stocking up with including Sam Adams Infinium...

Colleague here is into Heady Topper - I mean like a super fan-girl of the stuff. Her in laws live closer to Vermont than we do and frequently visit that state. They called and asked if my co-worker wants anything when they recently came to visit, so of course she told them Heady Topper. After 'splaining what that was and how to get it, she said her mother in law sounded dubious at best. A few days later she gets a text saying there's THREE cases on the way - apparently once the M-I-L started looking, the competitive shopping spirit took hold and it became a game.

Out of that haul, I received what will likely be the only can of Heady Topper I will ever enjoy. (I'm allergic to the chase )

 

Complete set of Tiffany Crystal Beer Mugs. http://www.tiffany.com/gifts/gifts-...WyvvFARd_TCMGgPidj1cyKsrD-yReexFGsaAvFc8P8HAQ

 

CLASSY!!