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The holidays are a wonderful time of the year to see family and friends! You also get to see the assholes that you have avoided because of their attitude/opinion on something you could care less about. Besides all the f-words that bring us together – family, friends, food, and football, there is a good ‘ole b-word that also brings us together – BEER!

Here are five tips to help with the beer sharing that may take place over the holidays or for any instance for that matter.

1. Establish an understanding

I’m not going to go as far as saying you have to come up with rules and whatnot. That would be a little overbearing. You and your friends/family should come up with an understanding of what’s going to go down with the beer. Be on the same page to avoid those yearly fights which are now fueled by beer. Here are a few ways to know what you’re getting into:

Bottle share – Everyone brings a set amount of beers to share with those interested. Bottles, cans, growlers, howlers will be opened and shared with taster sized samples. Some people may say you have to bring a beer to get beer, but I say share with everyone. The more the merrier!

Beer trades – People bring beers that they want to trade with others. Unlimited possibilities here.

Make a new 4-,6-, 8-, 12-pack – This one requires math based on who is interested, but you bring the same beer to then get a beer from whatever everyone else brought.

If six people are interested, so your new six-pack would have one of the beers you brought and then five different beers because of the beers that the others brought.

The perfect setting is to have seven people interested that way you walk away with six (hopefully) new beers.

 

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2. Know Your People

Going to be hanging out with a bunch of hop heads or dark beer lovers OR your family who is giving this craft beer thing a whirl? Know who your people are so you can share and exchange beer that will appeal to them. You probably know what good beer is, so get others to like a variety of good beer styles.

 

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3. Go Off the Beaten Path

Bring something new to the table that you enjoy. Stay away from staples that anyone can get no matter what their location, especially if you live in another state. Grab a beer that is local and unique to your current location. Hit up a bottle shop to find a unique local beer in bottles or cans. Doing a bottle share or want to have others taste your local place’s stuff, go to the brewery and get a crowler or a howler/growler fill to enjoy!

Check out the Better on Draft – Michigan Breweries Map to locate a brewery near you!

4. Don’t Be Mr. Clean

#3 and #4 go hand in hand. Don’t be Mr./Ms. Cleaning Your Fridge Out. Buy something fresh for others to enjoy. You don’t want to drink last year’s stock, so don’t be an asshat and subject others to this.

Beware of Mr. Clean by double-checking dates on beers if you have an inkling AND then call them out. Nobody has time for cheap bastards. Raise your standards!

5. Have Fun!

Seeing family and friends for the holidays or a get together is great. Enjoy your time together. Talk to each other. Laugh and catch up. Watch football, drink beer, and go outside to enjoy whatever wintry/fall/spring/summer bullshit Mother Nature has cooked up for this year.

Cheers!


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Ed Norton

Edwin "Ed" Norton was first introduced to craft beer when his designated fraternity Big Brother Vince asked him if he knew anything about the topic. Ed admitted his ignorance and the rest is history as Ed and Vince would split six-packs of craft beers each week during Ed's probationary status. Ed is now a craft beer enthusiast who is always on the lookout for a beer he has not tried when bottle shopping or drinking at breweries and bars. In addition to drinking beer, this livelong Michigan resident enjoys a bunch of hobbies that he doubts you really care about, other than drinking beer and sounding off about it.

4 Comments

Taylor Bishop · November 27, 2018 at 9:57 am

Thanks for the interesting article about beer sharing. I like that you mentioned it could be good to grab a beer that is unique to where you are. This also seems like a fun way to try out different beers and learn more about different types.

    mm

    Ed Norton · November 28, 2018 at 11:11 pm

    You’re welcome, Taylor! Cheers to you!

Bob · June 3, 2019 at 7:57 pm

I like your tip about bringing a set amount of beers to a party. That makes sense considering you can all share. I’ll have to consider your tips and try different kinds of beer.

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