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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

When I went to Scotland in 2009, I got to visit Duone Castle, which is one of the castles “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was filmed in. To commemorate the visit, I bought a bottle of Holy Grail Ale. After I poured it out (I know–party foul), I put it on display in the entertainment center I had then, and so started my glass and bottle collection.

After the 2015 Jackson Free Press beer tasting, I took an empty bottle of Rogue Sriracha Ale and New Belgium Brewing Co. Transatlantique Kriek home with me to turn it into another glass for my collection. As I discovered, it’s not as easy as it looks.

Amber Helsel is a freelance copy editor and former managing editor of the Jackson Free Press.