Some goodbyes are dramatic, emotional and even hostile.

But some people are sophisticated and classy enough to deliver their goodbye insults like the one in this story.

Check out how beer was involved.

In Belgium, even petty revenge is served with beer

This story is not my own, but my father’s. He passed away last year.

My father was a fairly high-ranking civil servant. He rose through the ranks until he reached a level where he was no longer happy in his position.

His feelings are understandable. This ate at him.

He was no longer working in his area of expertise, but had become a manager of people for an entire district. He was suddenly the one who, for example, had to tell a young mother that her new workplace was a 50-kilometre commute from her hometown.

Decisions like these were eating him up, and kept him awake at night.

So he voluntarily took a step down on the ladder, which meant that he again could focus on his field of expertise, tax law and international tax treaties. Dull, I know, but he excelled in it.

This also meant that one of his former subordinates, someone he thought he had a good working relationship with, moved up the ladder and became his direct superior.

Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that this person was not exactly the ideal manager and enjoyed the power he had over people a little too much.

At that point, my father was only a couple of years away from retirement, so he didn’t take it too much to heart.

So he planned a cunning goodbye for his coworkers.

For all the colleagues with whom he had worked closely, he had prepared a small gift.

In Belgium, we have a true beer culture. Thousands and thousands of beers, often with very inventive and colourful names.

For each colleague, he chose a beer whose name emphasized a positive trait, such as “Vivat” (Joy of Life), “Bonne Espérance” (Good Hope), or “Martha” (for a colleague named Martha), Troubadour (for a collegue who composed her own music).

In Belgium, most beers are traditionally drunk from a specific glass designed for that beer, so each bottle came with its matching glass, engraved with a personal message.

This gift was not a compliment…

The most extravagant gift, however, was for his boss, the man who held the position my father himself had once occupied.

It was a large beer basket, filled exclusively with beers whose names had negative connotations such as Duvel (Devil), Judas, Schijnheilig Paterke (Self-Righteous Little Monk), Stouterik (dialect, roughly translates to troublemaker), Flierefluiter (also dialect, someone you don’t have to take seriously, a fool) and so on.

I wasn’t there myself, but apparently his boss accepted the basket with a big smile until he realized what he had just received. He left the farewell party pretty quickly after that without even giving the speech he had prepared.

Still miss you every day dad, more and more.

Here is what folks are talking about.

It was epic!

Hilarious title. I wonder why the beers are named like this.

He sounds delightful.

Totally! Funny memories help.

Do it soon!

Too bad Belgian chocolate doesn’t come with ridiculous, insulting titles.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.