We have talked about having a beer tasting party for awhile now and we finally did it! We had a group of friends gather to try different types of beer. If you know us well, than you know WE love beer. Right now, in the grips of winter, we are loving all kinds of stouts. Some of our favorites are Milkshake Stout from Rochester Mills Brewing, Creme Brulee for Southern Tier, and KBS, CBS, Dirty Bastard and Backwards Bastard from Founder’s Brewing. So many stouts right now to choose from! In the summer we move to the lighter beers, but in the colder months there is nothing better than a dark, thick, rich, and strong stout!
We had plenty of stouts, ales, IPA’s, and lagers to choose from at the beer tasting party. Couples were responsible to bring one beer to share. The rules were simple: Bring enough beer for everyone to taste (a 5 oz. pour) and with your beer have a story to tell. 🙂 Some people brought their favorite beer to share and they told why they absolutely love that beer or a memory associated with the beer. We shared KBS from Founder’s and a German beer called Weihenstephaner Vitus (Hefe Weissbier). Dave talked about his love of KBS and the German purity laws of brewing beer. I chose to share Shiner’s Holiday Cheer because it was appropriate for the time of year and I really like this beer with its peaches and roasted pecans taste. Everyone loved it!
Here is a list of items that will make your party a success.
- Have a specific invitation list. We invited people Dave works with. That way we ensured that everyone knew each other and they already had something to converse about while we made sure all the supplies were readily available for each tasting.
- Everyone was responsible to bring one beer to share among the guests with a story. It’s helpful to give a heads up as to how many people will be at the party. So, for instance, there were 14 people at our beer tasting so everyone had to bring a beer that would fill (14) 5 oz. sample size tasting cups. Most people just brought a six pack or a large bottle and if people wanted more of the beer they could have it. We started with lighter color beers and moved on to the darker color stouts or browns.
- Have water and snacks on tables (peanuts, pretzels) to nibble on and to help cleanse the palate.
- Have score cards, pens, pencils. We chose this one.
- Have printed materials around for those who are quiet and might want to read up on types of beer while they have an opportunity to.
- Keep tasting area clean of used cups and refill snacks if needed.
- Have a beer game or quiz with prizes to win. Many are available on-line.
- Be somewhat knowledgeable about your beer or at least do some research about the beer you are describing.
- Don’t get drunk, be responsible- you are the host. You need to keep the party going!
- Be aware of your guests and how much they are drinking.
- Enjoy your friends and especially all of the beer stories you hear. I think that was the best part of the night. Listening to stories brought us all closer together and we laughed and smiled as the stories were being told.
- Offer food that is filling and is carb loaded. Guests need to soak up the beer they are drinking. We offered a German themed menu which consisted of lots of different types of sausages, good buns, rolls and bread, warm German potato salad, German red cabbage slaw, pickles, crackers and cheese and lots of different types of mustard. Everything was so good!
Comments from guests included “What a great idea!” “We had so much fun tasting different types of beer.” ” I have seen this beer at the store and always wanted to try it and now that I have I will make sure to buy it.” “I didn’t think I would like this type of beer (IPA) but I do!”
Just a simple Google search will bring up so much information on beer themed parties. Even type “how to throw a beer tasting party” and you are bound to get lots of hits. I did that in the beginning and that is how I decided on my tasting guide, quizzes, history of beer and so on.
Dave with a coworker Ross. The venue was at Ross’s meeting house in Armada, Michigan. It’s name –We the People, is a gathering house with a full kitchen. It was the perfect spot to host a beer tasting.
Dessert consisted of a cookie tray with homemade apple kuchen! Simple but delicious 🙂
The clean up 🙂 Feel free to ask questions. We had our party during the holiday season and everything was very festive. We are planning another beer tasting party for the summer months but with a smaller crowd, different menu, and we will host it in our backyard. Auf Wiedersehen friends!
Published by