Wedding gift beer: need your opinion

[dougdecinces]

I long-time, close friend of mine got married last month. He and his new wife are craft beer lovers, so even though I already got them a gift, I wanted to also brew them a special batch of beer to commemorate their wedding day. I wanted to brew a big beer that I knew would keep for years, with the idea that this be something they can enjoy for a long time.

I have already decided on what I am brewing and I have the recipe and the ingredients all picked out. But I do need some advice on how I originally planned on packaging the gift. I had originally thought it would be cute to label all the bottles with an anniversary year (2015, 2016, et al.) and instruct them to pull out one bottle per year around the time of their anniversary to see how the beer has matured in the preceding year. Now I am worried that these instructions might be a bit too fussy and that I might be better off just giving them the 20 bottles I planned on giving them and letting them decide how they drink it.

My question is if you were on the receiving end of this gift, would you appreciate the idea of reserving a bottle to try every year or would you prefer to just have the beer and decide yourself what to do with it?

 

[KeninMN]

Given the current divorce rate, you'd better label those so that they're all gone before the Seven Year Itch hits!

But seriously, I think it's the thought that counts, both ideas are lovely and you know them better than any of us, so go with your first instinct...

 

[hunter_le five]

Sounds like a neat idea, but I guess whether or not you can expect them to wait would depend on their personality types.

If they are like any of my friends, they would groan if I told them to wait a year or two or three to drink a beer.

If they are the type that keeps a full wine rack or a fully stocked bar and doesn't feel the need to drink everything they have as soon as they buy it, then maybe they won't mind waiting.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

I think it's a nice idea. They may not actually wait to open them, but if they do, every year they'll remember your thoughtfulness. Maybe even put notes to be opened with each bottle.


Okay, that was very girlie of me to say.

 

[NickTheGreat]

What kind of beer? A lot of beers wouldn't necessarily get better after many years, would they? Unless you're trying to imply something about their marriage . . .

 

[Cyclman]

I would give them the beer, and let them know that you designed the recipe to be aged, so if they wanted to open a bottle each year, that would be a viable option.

I hate it when fancy restaurants "tell me" how to eat a dish. If they suggest or indicate the chef's intent, I'm fine with it, but it's my food darnit!