Surprise A Beer-lover With This DIY Beer Gift Basket {Tutorial & Free Printables}

Surprise A Beer-lover With This DIY Beer Gift Basket {Tutorial & Free Printables}

A DIY Beer Gift Basket – like my ’40 beers for 40 years’ version – is the perfect gift for celebrating birthdays, wedding anniversaries, work anniversaries and retirement. Today’s post includes everything you need to know to assemble the perfect beer-themed gift for a loved one.

My absolute favorite DIY beer gift basket for celebrating milestone birthdays and anniversaries could not be easier. I can’t wait to share it with you! My recent ’40 beers for 40 years’ gift basket is an impressive gift from a group and can be easily customized. I even include free gift tag downloads for your convenience if you chose to recreate this gift basket. Happy gifting!

beer-themed gift tags

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I may receive a commission from a third party at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own, and I only share links to products I personally use, love and trust.


What to get someone who loves beer?

The absolute easiest gift for someone who loves beer is a DIY beer-themed gift basket. A beer gift basket can range from a collection of a few brews and snacks to something significant, like my ‘40 beers for 40 years’ gift.

The great thing about beer gift baskets is that you can give them every year for lots of different occasions and never give the same gift twice. Switch out the beers you include – from old favorites to new specialty beers to try – and voila! A whole new gift!

A true beer lover will always welcome this gift basket year after year as a fun way to refill his or her beer fridge.


For what occasions can I give beer gift baskets?

Birthday Beer Gift Baskets

An easy birthday gift from a group

My ’40 beers for 40 years’ version of a beer gift baskets is a perfect gift from a group of friends, neighbors and family members. Here’s what you’ll want to do to celebrate a 40th birthday:

'40 beers for 40 years' beer-themed gift tag with assorted beers

Step 1: Divide the birthday year by the number of people participating.

For example, if you are celebrating a 40th birthday and 10 people want to contribute to the gift, have everyone bring 4 bottles of their favorite beers.

Step 2: Designate one person to collect the beer and assemble the gift basket and attach my free printable. I provide both a gift tag version (4×5″) and a gift sign version (8×10.5″) below! So keep scrolling!

Step 3: Think through the assembly.

Is it the middle of summer? Is it ice fishing season? Does the recipient already have a ton of coolers or a large beer fridge? Would your recipient get a kick out of a ‘redneck’ version of the gift? Or is he or she a little more refined?

Take all of these things into consideration and package the gift accordingly.

For example, if it’s the middle of summer and this is a 40th birthday from a group of fun-loving neighbors, consider filling a kiddie pool with ice and arrange the bottles as you would a cooler.

Add my free gift sign and set the pool on their porch. Ring the doorbell and wait for a few laughs! (There’s also nothing wrong with a ding-dong dash.)

If your recipient already has a nice beer fridge, maybe you’ll only need a disposable cooler as a “basket.”

Or if it’s the recipient is a camper but enjoys the finer things in life, consider also going in on a nice cooler like a Yeti to use as the gift basket.

The combinations and customizations are endless!

A fun way to celebrate a birthday during quarantine

Because 2020 happened…I’ve found that this ’40 beers for 40 years’ version of a beer gift basket is a special way to celebrate a milestone quarantine birthday.

In lieu of a big party, this beer gift basket is a great way to bring people together to celebrate life’s milestones in a fun and unique way. Plus, couldn’t we all use another drink during quarantine?

'40 beers for 40 years' beer-themed gift tag tied to a bucket of beers

Wedding Anniversary Beer Gift Basket

Is your spouse a beer lover?

This ’40 beers for 40 years’ version of a beer gift basket would also work great as a 40th wedding anniversary gift.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait 40 years to give this gift! I love the idea of giving this beer gift basket every year and increasing the number of bottles you include by 1 each time. I guarantee a true beer lover won’t complain about getting the same gift every year.

Work Anniversary Beer Gift Baskets

A unique work anniversary gift from a group

Is someone in your office celebrating an anniversary? As outlined above for a group birthday gift, a group of coworkers, employees and/or direct reports could easily pool their resources to give this beer-themed gift basket to mark a milestone year.

Don’t let someone’s dedication to your company go overlooked when this easy gift option is a great way to celebrate their years of services!

Retirement Beer Gift Baskets

Are you throwing a retirement party for a coworker or boss?

Ask everyone attending to bring a beer or two to include in a collective retirement gift. The number of beers you bring should total the retiree’s number of years with the company.

As with the birthday and work anniversary gift versions of this beer gift basket, this retirement gift is a great way for a group to celebrate a meaningful milestone.

bucket of beers with a sign that reads "40 beers for 40 years"


How can I make a ’40 Beers for 40 Years’ Beer Gift Basket?

My ’40 beers for 40 years’ version of a beer gift baskets is a perfect gift from a group of friends, neighbors and family members.

How to assemble this DIY beer gift basket:

Step 1: Do a little math

Let’s use a 40th birthday as an example…

Divide 40 by the number of people contributing to the gift.

If you are celebrating a 40th birthday and 10 people want to contribute to the gift, have everyone bring 4 bottles of their favorite beers.

Step 2: Designate one person to collect the beer and assemble the gift basket

Make sure you have a variety of: IPAs; pale ales; pilsners; porters; Belgian beers; craft beer; a mix of imports, domestics and local favorites; sours; hard seltzers; ciders; lagers; ales; stouts; and wheat beers

Don’t forget to download and use my free gift tags or signs below!

bucket of beers with a sign that reads "40 beers for 40 years"

Step 3: Select a ‘basket’

Is it the middle of summer or the dead of winter? Does the recipient already have a ton of coolers or a large beer fridge? Would your recipient get a kick out of a ‘redneck’ version of the gift? Or is he or she a little more refined?

Take all of these things into consideration and package the gift accordingly.

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing…

Scenario 1: If it’s the middle of summer and this is a 40th birthday from a group of fun-loving neighbors, consider filling a kiddie pool with ice and arrange the bottles as you would a cooler.

Add my free gift sign and set the pool on their porch. Ring the doorbell and wait for a few laughs! (There’s also nothing wrong with a ding-dong dash.)

Scenario 2: If your recipient already has a nice beer fridge, maybe you’ll only need a disposable cooler as a “basket.”

Scenario 3: Maybe it’s the middle of winter in Minnesota and you have 3 feet of snow. Then who needs a basket at all? Chill the beers right in the snow. Who wouldn’t want a lawn full of beer?

Scenario 4: If it’s the recipient is a camper but enjoys the finer things in life, consider also going in on a nice cooler like a Yeti to use as the gift basket.

The combinations and customizations are endless!

Whatever you do, if you are celebrating one of life’s milestones with this type of a gift… DO NOT FORGET the gift tag!

Download my ’40 beers for 40 years’ gift tag below!

free printable beer-themed gift tag downloads

And since this gift is so versatile and can be used for all sorts of milestone birthdays or anniversaries, I’ve also included free downloads for celebrating a 21st birthday, a 30th birthday/anniversary, a 40th birthday/anniversary, a 50th birthday/anniversary, a 60th birthday/anniversary and a 70th birthday/anniversary.

I’ve used both large 8″ x 10.5″ signs for this gift and smaller 4″ x 5″ gift tags, so naturally, I’ve included BOTH versions for you for FREE. Download each size ONCE and get access to every birthday year:

Need a specific year? Just ask!


Can I give ’40 beers for 40 years’ from afar?

As I’ve already stated, this ’40 beers for 40 years’ beer gift basket is a great gift during the pandemic when we have all looked for different ways to celebrate while socially distancing. But it’s also a perfect gift for a group of people to contribute to during a ‘typical’ year.

But what if you’d like to celebrate with ’40 beers for 40 years’ from afar?

If you’d like to celebrate a milestone event with this ’40 beers for 40 years’ gift but cannot assemble the gift in-person, you have options! Chief of which is DRIZLY!

It’s worth noting here that I am NOT an affiliate of Drizly and do not benefit from you clicking on the link and purchasing through them. I just think the concept of an online liquor store that delivers is brilliant!

To send ’40 beers for 40 years’ or a similar gift of individual varieties of beers, head to drizly.com.

STEP 1: Enter the delivery address to access beers available at liquor stores in the area. This is important! Otherwise you won’t be able to see what is available in the next step.

STEP 2: You’ll want to select ‘singles’ under the pack size filter to see what is available by the can or bottle. Easy, right?


What are some other milestone birthday gift ideas (40th birthday gift ideas)?

For more birthday gift ideas for milestone birthdays (like a 40th birthday), check out my full post of over 15 unique and personalized ideas, including DIY gifts and one-of-a-kind finds from small businesses and artisans.

personalized 40th birthday gift ideas for women

For a 100% DIY gift for a 40th birthday, I love the idea of giving ‘40 reasons why I love you‘.

It is as easy to make as grabbing a pen and making a list of all the reasons why you love the birthday boy or girl.

My recent post includes an exhaustive list of sample reasons to give you some inspiration and numerous examples of how to package your list to make a memorable keepsake gift for a milestone birthday.


Did I miss anything?

I’d love to hear about any other ideas you’d like me to add to this post! Tell me all about it!

Or if you make any of these gifts, leave me a comment below or tag me on Instagram!


If you need help creating a custom gift…

Please REACH OUT TO ME! I’d love to help!

More later! The craft room is calling, and I must go…


Other gift ideas you’ll love:

Natalie Administrator
Natalie Menke, the self-proclaimed Gift Guru, is always thinking about the next gift she is going to give. Her hope is to provide boundless inspiration for completely customized and personalized gifts. Happy gifting!
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