I need to vent!

[oinyo]

For any bottles you bring to work, you should just stamp the instructions right on the bottle in the place of a label. It should read something like, "THIS BOTTLE MUST BE RETURNED ONCE EMPTY. IN ORDER TO PROPERLY ENJOY THIS BEER YOU MUST
A.) Serve it at xdeg F
B.) Pour into appropriate glassware
and whatever other rules you decide to apply...
IF THESE RULES ARE NOT FOLLOWED, YOUR FREE HOMEBREW PRIVILEGES WILL BE REVOKED INDEFINITELY"

come to think of it I think I would like to make a label like this, just for humor's sake!!

ha ha i love it. Please do so that I can put them on the back of my bottles as well

 

[underwaterdan]

I am glad someone brought this up! I had people over the other day for my beer, then my wife goes inviting people, people who drink bud light none to the less. I told my wife if they wanted my beer they better not bring bud light. Now I am almost done with my keg all for people who drink bud light and had my beer instead. I know they didn't like it either, because they went to bud light after the second one. AAAAGGGGGGHHHH!

 

[Kugster]

For any bottles you bring to work, you should just stamp the instructions right on the bottle in the place of a label. It should read something like, "THIS BOTTLE MUST BE RETURNED ONCE EMPTY. IN ORDER TO PROPERLY ENJOY THIS BEER YOU MUST
A.) Serve it at xdeg F
B.) Pour into appropriate glassware
and whatever other rules you decide to apply...
IF THESE RULES ARE NOT FOLLOWED, YOUR FREE HOMEBREW PRIVILEGES WILL BE REVOKED INDEFINITELY"

come to think of it I think I would like to make a label like this, just for humor's sake!!

I've actually thought about puttin "Please Return Bottle When Finished" on my bottles before but since I've weeded out the "non-recievers" there has been no need too.

Even my Mom who lives in Cleveland returns my bottles!

 

[david_42]

The real solution is to exclude everyone from your life who isn't a a craft brewer or the SO of one. At least then the comments will be constructive and you can always keep their bottles.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

On a similar note; we all give our beer away to friends/family/coworkers that we deem 'worthy'...but suppose you had to put a price on it to sell it? How much?

Pretty friggin expensive huh?

 

[jds]

I put this on the labels I use for "give-away" beer. People who return bottles get more beer. People who don't, don't. I'm not out there to educate the masses, but I'm always happy to share beer with people who can appreciate it.

 

[delarob]

People just don't understand sometimes. I hate the "Well when are you going to bring me some?" entitlement. I fish for Salmon and I don't keep everyone I catch. I smoke my fish and occasionally I bring some to certain people. I'm sorry, but if I brought some into everyone that wanted some, I wouldn't have any at all. Not to be selfish, but damnit, I made it, I'll decide who gets some!

This isn't like a cake or cookies where they're done in a half hour. This is time and effort and I think we all appreciate the OP comments as not being selfish at all. But I'd be damned if the person that left the bottle would be getting another anytime soon.

 

[user 22118]

To all here, let me play devils advocate just for a second. I am not saying that anyone "deserves" your beer. However, when I go to a party I like to pick up a sixer, 12er, growler or something along the way to bring to the party. Sure, I am bringing it for myself, but it is to share. So here I am, spending $10 or $20 on some beer that others are going to drink as well. I am not going to get a big old stout (which I love) but maybe a pale ale...If I am going to do that, then I might as well just bring along a pale ale that I made and save the $20 for the next batch.

What I am trying to get at here is that for a gathering, bring something appropriate for everyone and you won't run into the problems of having people complain.

Next I was just thinking about it and it does suck to have to buy/wash/remove labels from bottles and I would love to get them back. However, I just look at it like buying a friend a pint at the bar. If he brings back the bottle, then he just bought me a pint and it is once again my turn to buy the pint. You know what I mean? Granted, I keg my beer and fill the bottles on demand or if I want to give some away. Most of the time I just try to pour from the keg, which means if they like it, drink till the keg is empty! That's why I made the stuff. It doesn't drink itself!

I don't know, maybe I am just being too nice. I figure it will come back to me somehow and I like to make things (cookies, ribs, pizza, beer, wine) that others will be able to enjoy. Sure, it costs me money. I was going to make it for me anyways, so you can have some too. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/calculated-my-beer-intake-whats-yours-97266/ After calculating my beer intake I figure that I am supporting my habit, so might as well throw in an additional keg worth for everyone else

 

[SkewedBrewing]

You know, this reminds me of a children's book from when I was in kindergarten...

The Little Red Hen

 

[dontman]

People just don't understand sometimes. I hate the "Well when are you going to bring me some?" entitlement. I fish for Salmon and I don't keep everyone I catch. I smoke my fish and occasionally I bring some to certain people. I'm sorry, but if I brought some into everyone that wanted some, I wouldn't have any at all. Not to be selfish, but damnit, I made it, I'll decide who gets some!

This isn't like a cake or cookies where they're done in a half hour. This is time and effort and I think we all appreciate the OP comments as not being selfish at all. But I'd be damned if the person that left the bottle would be getting another anytime soon.

I think a lot of people have a preconception about homebrew that it is like swill. They actually believe they prefer the "good stuff" when they but the heineken. They feel somewhat adventurous when they try it - like it was illicit - like moonshine.

I can see this sometimes in people. They ask "you made this?" "I guess I'll try one" and then you see them a few minutes later with a Bud Light in their hands.

As far as one of the posts. I don't take the beer to the party as a housewarming. I'll bring them a bottle of wine or scotch for that. Actually I usually bring fresh roasted coffee. Everyone I know appreciates that (but if they don't I never bring it again.) I bring homebrew so that I am never forced to drink a BMC. Beer lovers are very welcome to try it but make no mistake I am bringing it to drink.

 

[FxdGrMind]

This is exactly one of the thoughts that Drove me to Keg's from the get go!

I've already had Co-Workers ask... hey I hear you brew your own... When are you going to bring me some...

Well I'll just say this here... Either they come to my house and I take the 4 oz "TESTER" glass and fill it with a sample for them to taste and then if they like it they can take a regular glass and fill it to the point where they will drink all of it. Or they just aren't going to get squat....

PS... I do not invite co-workers to my house, I live in the boonies and for the majority of them it would be a nearly 2 hr drive. If they realy want to try it... they are realy going to have to convince me and then make the drive!

PSS... all my neighbors are craft beer drinkers... hence why they are invited over for a brew day and PIZZA and Beer festivities to Cristen the Kegerator and my first two batches... I have tried them and they are both turning out better and better as the days go by from the brew date! I just hope they don't drain both kegs!

 

[user 22118]

If we are going to offer the beer up to others, shouldn't we be happy if they have three or four and our keg runs out? I just tell friends that I will give them a bottle for free, but if they want more than that then just chip in on the batch and I will make some for them. If I give them a growler and they buy the tank of propane, I call that even.

 

[chrispykid]

I don't think it's realistic to hand someone a beer with a list of rules about how they're supposed to drink it and a requirement to return the bottle. If you're going to give someone a gift I think you have to do it in the spirit that they can do what they like with. (And really, how much trouble is it to peal the label off a new bottle? I'd rather do it again all over again than ferry empties back to my house from work).

But generally I don't hand out bottles either. I'm of the "come over and try some" philosophy. Once a year or so I'll have a party and invite over anyone that has an expressed an interest in trying them out. That way I can pour them a small glass, describe the style of beer and what kind of flavors they should be looking for in that style. If they enjoy it, "Great, have another." If not, "No problem there are a bunch of Warsteiners and Weihenstaphens in the fridge too, they're a lot like the beer from major US breweries, help yourself to whatever you like." (Of course once they taste a Warsteiner or Weihenstaphen they'll realize how much better they are then the BMC they've had before)

This way regardless of whether or not they enjoyed my beer they're bound to find at least one thing they enjoy and I don't end up looking like a jerk for dissing the beers they're used to drinking.

 

[Pogo]

I, now, give away very little.

Either...

1) They haven't liked what I've offered them in the past.

2) They love what I've let them try, and now expect me to keep their habit supplied...free!

I ended up re-cycling amber twist-off longnecks, which I find along the roadside (I bicycle 10-12 miles a day to benefit my cardio), and cap with a bench capper (Works fine!).

Then, I always be sure to specify that they are to return the empties (which I really don't care about getting back, since they are twist-offs).

When they don't return the empties, knowing that if I HAD given them "pry-top" crown bottles, they would now be gone, I suddenly make a big deal out of the loss, and let them know that until they replace my precious...trashed..."pry-top" bottles (hopefully full of imported or craft beer), as well as furnish their own "pry-tops" in the future, they should consider my beer faucet to have ran dry.

To date no one has offered me any bottles, full or empty!

Pogo

 

[jmiracle]

While you don't have to keep giving beer to someone if you suspect its just being wasted or sitting around the house, I think some of us would do better not to hoard the beer so much. Hopefully you all are at least sharing with your good friends.

However, one thing that does kind of bug me is the people that think providing 3-4 empty bottles entitles them to a nice full sixer. Not that I wouldn't probably give it to them anyway but I've had statements where it seems like I "owe" them the beer, and I'm like "why don't I just give you 60 cents then if this some kind of business transaction?"

No offense to the instruction sheet poster but I think stuff like that is counterproductive. The last thing we want is more people thinking homebrew is not only hard to do but even hard to drink. Plus I wouldn't like a friend of mine giving me a written ultimate that I need to rinse a beer bottle or suffer the consequences.

 

[JoeMama]

Then you should get into the practice of giving out KEGS instead of bottles. Kegs are far less likely to be thrown out than a bottle (its kind of force of habit for some people) but a keg... That is meant to be refilled - If you want to try this theory out, go ahead and send one my way and I can GUARANTEE that you will get an empty keg in return!

See? How swell of a guy am I? :rockin:
-Me

 

[user 22118]

Funny that you say this as last month I gave a keg to a buddy. He seems happy for sure

 

[carnevoodoo]

You guys must all work with terrible people. I can't see the end of my desk because of all the bottles I have.

 

[HSM]

The only time I share my beer/wine/whiskey is when the guest is in my home.

Then I have the option of making them leave!

 

[Ichi-Go]

I have friends that are huge Sierra Nevada and Bells brewery drinkers. Sometimes Ill bring a 6 pack over and take home a case or more full of empty bottles.

 

[polecreek]

My friends all drink Bud light and tell me they only like REAL BEER. They get squat,one even brought bud light to my house and left it so I could have the bottles. I keep some REAL BEER on hand for when they come so I dont waste the stuff I drink.