Hey BAers, so I am getting married in a month and as a guy of course I wait till the last minute. I need some good ideas for my groomsmen gifts. The guys I am shopping for are sportsmen's / just getting into the craft beer scene. Initial ideas have me thinking a backpack cooler (great for fishing/hunting), an engraved das boot (well because its pretty BA), a couple bombers of stuff they can't get (easy if I can set up a nice trade or two), and some cigars. I know you guys have great ideas so let me hear them! Thanks!
You're in Wisconsin? If you want to go overboard, Deschutes XXVI was just released here and is a very good special occasion beer. Great for aging, too. About $18 a bottle. Otherwise hunt down some pseudoSue/other TG or some good FFF bombers and New Glarus Thumbprints and get to trading with some West Coasters for Pliny/Swami's/Alpine or East Coasters for Heady.
Get as many of the Firestone Walker barrel aged beers as you can. IE: Parabola, Sucaba, Stickee Monkee, DDBA and any anniversaries; then have a big tasting/blending party. Everyone gets a bottle you taste it as is then you make your own blends with the other beers. It's something I have thought could be really fun, but none of my friends are on that level.
I was a groomsmen in a close friends wedding. The groom got us all Leatherman multi-tools and bought assorted bombers and let us hash it out for the bombers amongst ourselves. We were all quite happy with the gifts. None of the bottles were rare or hyped up type beers... probably $7-10 stuff mostly.
Miir growler? Of course any vaccum stainless growler will do. Very useful for more than just beer, especially for folks that enjoy the backcountry. Giving it to them filled with something that might broaden their craft interest would be an added touch.
I'll let others give beer suggestions. Personally, I would scrap the Das Boot idea in favor of a nice engraved/personalized bottle opener. Glassware like boots, HUGE mugs, etc. will most often get used once or twice right away, and then end up collecting dust in the back of a closet. But a bottle opener will fondly get used over and over.
I am in the same boat, except one of my groomsmen is only 16. I have been trying to figure out a way to get everyone the same gift without leaving him out. All the others are of drinking age and BA's to boot so it only makes sense that the gifts should be beer related. What is the consensus on this? Would it be ok to give him a different, yet equally appealing gift?
If you got everyone a beer that ages well, you could give the 16 yr. old one too, with a "Do Not Open Until 21st Birthday" tag on it. You could include some info on the tag about the beer, how/why to age beer, and why it's worth waiting/aging it. Not only would that be a cool present, but a good education for a youngin' that beer can be so much more than a 30-rack of Natty and a beer bong. I'd recommend getting parental consent for the gift, but I think that would be very cool. I wish someone had explained good beer to me when I was 16.
I was thinking something along the lines of custom/engraved bottle openers, engraved tekus (if you could find someone to do that), or hell just give them all a bottle of KBBS
I'm giving railroad spike bottle openers from Etsy, and fifty/fifty 64 oz growlers that I customized with stickers, including the required surgeon general's warning.
Check with any good bottle shop for any gift packs that might have a nice beer with a logo glass of some sort. Or maybe a collection of the Rochefort beers.
