A huge box was placed on my doorstep. Next to it was a much smaller box. As I picked up the larger, heavier cardboard container, I felt liquid swirling inside of it. Who sent me these gifts and what were they?

Jokingly, I told my wife to leave the room when I opened them. "Possibly, it is an explosive from one of my former friends or enemies," was my flippant remark. I was getting "curiouser and curiouser" as I spied a large chunk of styrofoam divided into six sections.

And voila there it was!

Six neatly placed bottles of beer. Each was in a dark bottle, each had a different name, each contained one pint and six fluid ounces and each had the most outrageous sayings etched into the dark glass bottle.

These are the names on the labels of my liquid gift:

1) Rogue Ale (bottled in Newport, OR)

2) Kodiak Brown Nut Brown Ale (Midnight Sun Brewing Company, Anchorage, AL)

3) Downtown Brown Light Brown Ale (Lost Coast Brewery and Café, Eureka, CA)

4) El Jefe Weizen Ale (Hale's Ales, Seattle, WA)

5) Indira India Pale Ale (Lost Coast Brewery and Café, Eureka, CA). "Brewed by British brewers in the 19th century for troops and colonists serving in India."

And last but not least the intriguingly lurid:

6) Arrogant Bastard Ale (yes, you read it correctly). Some "arrogant" sayings on the bottle brewed by the Stone Brewing Company, San Marcos, San Diego County, CA. "Keep refrigerated numbskull." And "You're not worthy."

This unusual gift I learned from a paper in the box was a Father's Day gift sent from my son-in-law Eric from San Diego, CA. Eric is a "maven" of beer. That means he majored in "brewery" in college. He can discourse for hours on the quality or lack of it in domestic and imported ales. Actually, in real life Eric, who has a doctorate, is a professor of law. He is a strong advocate of Bass Ale (English). As he is a perfectionist, the smaller box contained two embossed glasses for beer tasting.

The gift was put into use immediately. My cousin Barry and a few buddies came to my house to view the final game seven of the National Basketball Association. They brought many cans of Coors Lite, Strohs and Miller Lite beer, along with pretzels and nuts. These light beers had no body and basically no taste. After their last can disappeared I brought out my gift stash of strange heavy brown beers. I like light beer when dining and heavier beer for just watching a ballgame.

They were a universal hit. My cousin and his pals savored the darker, richer tasting ales and were delighted.

The San Antonio Spurs won the championship.

The camaraderie was wonderful, and the gift was put to good use.