Hosting a Beer-Tasting 101, Part 1

Looking for a way to get all your friends together this winter and have a great time? Why not host a beer-tasting? A beer-tasting is a great way to bring everyone together and is a great time had by all.  They’re easy to prepare for and little clean-up is required afterwards. So here is some quick information to assist you in being the host of the next great party.

The first thing you are going to want to start off with is how many people you want to invite. A safe range of people is 4 to 10 guests. This will make it manageable and will not end up taking up the entire day or night. Once you have the amount of guests you plan to host, the next step you want to move on to is the most important, the beer!

Exactly what styles of beer you would like to sample at the party is completely up to you. Head down to the local package or liquor store to see what is available. While you have this option available, you could also ask the people you invited to the party to bring their favorite brews to share with everyone at the party and call it a “Favorites Mash-up or Mix.” You could also go that same route but assign a specific region to each of your guests and ask them to bring two different beers from that specific region. This could be a “Tastes of the World.” If you wanted to pick the beer up yourself, you could just as well use these same options.

Choose carefully. Don't make boring choices.

Another way of sampling beer is to have one set brewery (examples: Samuel Adams, Wachusett Brewing Company, Boulevard Brewing Company, Innis & Gunn, Shipyard, Sea Dog, Harpoon) and have several different styles that they offer. In doing so, you may create fans of your favorite brewery and increase their fan-base. You might even decide to try a brewer that you have yet to try. Be careful though, as there is risk of picking a brewer that neither you nor your party likes.

You could also to do a particular style of beer. These would be if you were to sample different lagers, stouts, ales, IPA’s, or any style really from several different breweries. Then, you and your party can decide based on your reviews which you feel offer the best interpretation of a set style. This can often be fun as many of the breweries come up with very different and strange names for their take on famous brews.

When you have come to a complete decision on what exactly you are going to do for your beer party, go to your local package or liquor store and pick up the beer. However, you do not want to pick these up too far in advance, as to ensure the best tasting and freshest beer is offered to your guests. You wouldn’t want anyone tasting sour or stale beer, would you? No, you wouldn’t. Make sure that you store the beer in your refrigerator and at an upright stance. This insures that the metal cap does not impart any bad taste into the beer. Also, make sure that you have enough, so if people want more of a particular beer that they liked, there is more available. One idea could be to put together a custom 6 pack for each guest. Give this to them as they head out the door as a party favor maybe. Or, if done earlier, maybe a couple people will trade with each other on a particular style they liked.

Set the beer up in an interesting way. This is an example of light to dark.

If you were holding a beer-tasting, which styles of beer or which brewery would you bring to the table? We would love to hear from you!

Make sure to check back next week as we continue this post on Hosting a Beer-Tasting 101. As always, remember to drink responsibly.