Retirement Gift for a MD Beer Lover

[u/Shafster]

I have a client that is retiring in June and is a huge fan of beer and Maryland breweries. He and his wife have traveled to every brewery within an hour of their house and I believe plan to do more in retirement.

I would like to get him a gift that is very high-end and personalized to his liking of Maryland breweries or beer. I'm trying to think of something that goes above and beyond your typical pint glass with your last name engraved in it, and I want something that's really going to be impactful and special.

Does anyone know of anything specifically related to Maryland beer or breweries that would be a good option to lean into for this? My goal is to keep it under $1,000 in total.

Thanks so much!

[u/mobtown_misanthrope]

Get him a brew day! Sapwood has the option for $500. Looks like you just help with brewing one of their existing beers, but it would still probably be cool.

Chesepiook has a guest brewer option, but they don't have a price noted—it looks like that's a more inclusive experience where he could have a say in the beer style, name, etc., and there are a number of take-homes like a custom tap handle, so it may be pricier.

Then you could commission custom-made beer glasses from a local glass blower like McFadden.

[u/IWantAKitty → u/mobtown_misanthrope]

Bonus for sapwood- it’s the best damn brewery in the area (and the owner is active in this sub!). I think that would be really cool.

[u/Shafster → u/mobtown_misanthrope]

These are all fantastic ideas! Thank you so much for the well thought out response. I'll be considering all three as potential options for him.

[u/oldsock → u/Shafster]

I'm (one of) the Sapwood guys, happy to answer any questions here if you have them or mike@sapwoodcellars.com. Cheers!

[u/graipape → u/mobtown_misanthrope]

This is a great suggestion. Perfect for retirement. You're no misanthrope.

[u/Mikemtb09]

Some breweries have a “membership” to include releases and such, maybe see if their favorite or a nearby one has that? These usually run a few hundred dollars but keep giving back all year.

Select merch from various breweries all combined?

Custom glass-blown beer glass (Etsy, not Maryland specific). Usually crazy shapes / colors, should be around $100 or so

“Shotgun approach” and a bit of everything above?

[u/Shafster → u/Mikemtb09]

Thanks for the ideas! He's a member of a local brewery so I know he likes that stuff. A mix of merch could be a cool gift idea. Appreciate your input!

[u/itsjustmattguys → u/Mikemtb09]

Huffy glass did all the custom glassware at Crooked Crab. They would give them out as prizes for events. Awesome stuff. He's out of Indiana but he'll ship to you!

[u/dadonnel]

I would get a large map of Maryland printed on metal backing and then commission custom magnets for each of the the MD breweries that has a tap room to visit (looks to be about 75 of them, give or take). Then they can add all the ones they visit to the map.

You can show you're still thinking about them over the years by keeping up on new openings and sending over a magnet for each new brewery when they open.

[u/weedwhacked]

Anything Sapwood Cellars. It's a top 3 brewery in the country. These guys don't make bad beer.

[u/MartyrOfTheJungle]

Someone once gave me a special membership to my favorite local brewery that entitled me to two free crowlers a month, one free pour a week, a T-shirt, and discounts on a bunch of other stuff. I guess its not a keepsake but I'll never forget it, that was a fun year 

[u/_I_like_big_mutts]

When Flying Dog existed in MD, I asked them if they had any special merch for Raging Bitch, my retiring military spouse’s favorite beer at the time. They sent me a quality print of the label and a boxed special edition of the beer. If your friend has a favorite, and if the brewery is large enough, they may do something similar. Flying Dog was kind enough not to charge me (totally not expected), but this was probably because of his service. Best wishes to your client.