Special occassion recommendations, please!

Whatever you choose I would start "contemplating" while you're still at the office. What are they going to do, fire you? Congratulations on your milestone!

 

Your at home, you are going out in your back yard, f'it. Rye on Rye On Rye with a good cigar. Show some love for a brewery close by

 

A big, complex barleywine sounds like the perfect beer for a celebration.

 

I want to say that, you have paid your dues.Go big and bold for whatever you choose.

 

Since your highest rated beersbseem to be from Sierra Nevada, get a SN seasonal 12 pack and have a great day.

 

Orval

 

Congrats on your retirement, and welcome to the 'club'. I've been a card-carrying member for three years now, and it's a great life to do whatever you feel like doing. (Yesterday, my wife and I went on a 4-stop pub crawl on a Tuesday afternoon, a day of the week that you'll soon well know is no longer a work day for you.)

As for beer suggestions, everyone touched on beer styles that are fitting, but no one came out and said it -- get bottles of whatever you like that have a cork and cage on it because this will make it seem more like a champagne. And since this could be a lengthy drinking session, I'll also recommend low in alcohol as a selection criteria to help you make it to the end without falling asleep.

 

Great idea, plus the box makes for a nice makeshift cooler, just dump a half bag of ice in it.

 

Westmalle Tripel

 

First off, congratulations!
Second, you should have been doing this ^ frequently for the past 40 years. You can't go back in time though, but now you know what to do for the next 40 years .

As for brew? The beer isn't important. Its just an apparatus for personal reflection. That being said, if you can nurse a big beer, then go with that (Quad, Barleywine, etc.). I personally can't nurse a bomber of RIS for 3-4 hours like some. So if you are going to enjoy the afternoon into the sunset, you may want to go with something more refreshing (a pale ale, low ABV IPA, etc.). Or perhaps, go with both? Drink a little, eat a little, then take a siesta in the shade.

 

I would trade for something I've been wanting for a while.

 

Congrats on the retirement - well earned, I'm sure.

Special occasion beers always tend toward Belgians for me. Some suggestions:

Saison Dupont
Dupont Avec Les Bon Veau
St. Bernardus Abt. 12
Orval
Westmalle Tripel

 

this sounds like the perfect time to break out a nice bottle of bourbon!
treat yourself!

 

Congrats! I suggest getting a 6-pack (or 12) of an IPA and enjoying it with a pizza delivery.

 

Tripel Karmeleit is a great beer, stronger than it seems and it has always been my special beer. I've never met a person yet that hasn't enjoyed TK when I pour it for them.

 

Congratulations on your retirement! I'd celebrate with something rich, higher ABV and bottle conditioned so it may pour slightly like champagne for the celebratory momentous occasion. Maybe: Ommegang Three Philosophers, Allagash Curieux, Gulden Draak Brewers Edition, Duvel, Delirium Tremens or Orval Trappist ale which is lower ABV.

 

Congrats! I just hit the 30 year mark and hope to retire (at least semi-retire) in the next 5-10 years.

I would go with either one of these approaches (really nice barleywine or something from SN). Since SN has been my "go to" beer through most of working life, I may go with that approach. Got some time to figure it out!

 

Whatever your personal favorite beer is or, perhaps, a whale you've sought after.

 

For a variety of reasons you might want to be thinking about this event not as the ending of something but as the beginning of something new that can be very rewarding.

On that basis alone I'd suggest you go look at the page under Top Beers for Kansas, print out that list and go shopping right there where you live for beers that are both new and different from what you have known in the past. Lay in a supply of those beers that will keep you going for the afternoon and evening.

Since you want to keep going, avoid the high ABV beers for this time/event since you want to savor the afternoon/evening while reflecting on both the past and where you'll be going the future. Then, as planned, sit back and enjoy both the new experiences with beer and with anticipating what new and interesting things will come your way in retirement.