I think this article will resonate with a lot of readers. Most of us collect beer, and while we like to crack open a decent beer from time to time at home by ourselves, the consumption of craft beer is in and of itself very social. One of my favorite bands Rush talks in “Time Stands Still” about having a chance to spend “an evening with a drink and a friend!” I think there’s very few things finer than being able to open up a good beer with a neighbor and I’m blessed to have that right now. I have friends across the country and I always look forward to having a beer with them. On a recent trip through Pittsburgh, I stopped in to see my friend Tony and that Saturday night was an excellent night of discussion with a few great beers. This is what it’s all about. We all collect beer, and we need to take the time to drink the best of it with those we like and care about.
If you are into a craft beer, the odds are good that you have a few friends that are as well. We all like to go drinking in Taprooms, and visiting Breweries, but sometimes it’s nice just to hang out at home with a few other aficionados tasting the best beer out there. As someone who travels around a lot, I am able to get my hands on great beer. I have almost too much of it! I have always tried to put together bottle shares, but in the recent months I now am hosting one that I think will be a great way for all of us in the group to keep our collections at fairly healthy levels. This isn’t the only or best reason to do bottle shares, but there is so much beer out there, and we don’t have to drink all of it by ourselves. Drink with your friends, and remember a bottle share is easy to put together. Invite a few people, have food, and encourage everyone to bring a bottle or two of your favorite brews.
While I have a lot of very good friends that I like to drink beer with, my travels have introduced me to a host of other excellent people. And then I think about all my friends and acquaintances across the craft beer community many of whom I only know online. Then then are the people you connect with a beer festivals, and release parties. Sometimes these are people that you end up becoming drinking buddies with. The ways to get a bottle share together are numerous, and I doubt if you’re reading this that you haven’t at least participated in one on a small level.
The reasons for bottle sharing are endless. Many of us travel, and when we go to fun places, we bring back beer. I recently had a trip to Pennsylvania, and a couple guys I do a podcast with asked me to bring back what I thought with was some of the best beer from Pennsylvania. A Gateway To Lesser Things(the name of our podcast) is a bottle share, and we have a great time discussing the beer that we get to try. There are a lot of beer podcasts, and maybe you already listen to one. I get excited when I hear one tasting good beer that I love, or haven’t tried yet!
My trips have given me many opportunities to have a good bottle shares with friends. Years ago I used to sit down with my friend Noah and we would try beers from our collections, and stuff we brought back from cool places like Michigan. And I don’t need to belabor this point, but so many of the beers we collect come in large bottles. These are well-suited for beer sharing. I rarely crack open anything larger than a pint when I’m by myself, and this is partly because I’m trying to be responsible. But I have lots of bombers, and I try to save as many of those as I can for drinking with good friends.
I know that bottle sharing is very popular. All the Facebook groups I participate in highlight these events quite frequently. I definitely approve of this because bottle sharing has always been an enjoyable part of my craft beer appreciation. When I go to music festivals, my friend Donna and I would share bottles with our fellow attendees highlighting craft beer from our parts of the country. What fascinates me is how diverse our entire beer culture is. I don’t buy every style of beer, so bottle sharing is often a way to expand my horizons. It’s fun and I hope that this is the way we continue to enjoy beer!
I also want to talk about beer tasting in general. Tasting societies do bottle shares as well as sample beer from breweries and drink together at Taprooms. I used to attend a tasting at Kahn’s Fine Wine in Indianapolis that happened every Monday. We sampled beer from a brewery whose lineup was offered at that store, and then a group of us would often bottle share at someone’s house, or drink together at a tap room. A lot of the best bottle shares I remember sprang from this group. We all have good memories of sharing craft beer, and maybe you’ll share yours with me over a beer someday!
There are many ways to enjoy craft beer. As I travel through the breweries of Indiana, I enjoyed meeting so many people that love craft beer. I collected a lot of bottles throughout those trips, and am constantly sharing those with my friends here at home. There is so much Great Beer to enjoy, and it’s selfish to not share. So I hope you get to enjoy great beer with your friends and if bottle sharing is your thing, I wish you lots of happy experiences!
So as I finish this article, I’m sitting at 5’s and having a great beer from Bare Hands. I want to mention that most of the tap rooms I hang out and have cans of beer to go. This is a great thing because when you have a great beer in a can at the premise, it’s nice to be able to take one home with you. More often than not, these are the beers I take to bottle shares. So always be aware of places where you can get a can of great beer to go. It’s often a beer I will be willing to share and should we do a bottle share together, rest assured I’ll have one! So keep drinking good beer, and maybe I’ll see you sometime soon!
So Much Beer So Little Time 