Hosting a Beer-Tasting 101, Part 2

Once you are set on what you want to do for your party in the way of beer, get prepared for the party by setting up a folder for each person with a couple sheets of paper in them. These sheets of paper should include but not be limited to: rating sheets with space for comments for each beer, menu for each beer that could be describing the beer in a language that even someone new to the beer scene would understand, pairing notes if someone wants to take these sheets home a prepare food, and lastly extra paper in case your guests decide to jot down any notes for themselves while tasting the beer.

Give your guests proper time to observe every aspect of the beer.

Some more prep that you will want to make sure is set the day of the party is that you have proper glassware that is “beer clean.” This means that there are no oils or soapy residue that can ruin the beer. If that happens, your guests will not enjoy the night or even the beer that you have taken so much time to pick out for their enjoyment. As far as specific glasses go, you can use a regular pint glasses or even wine glasses. Do not use plastic cups. These will not allow proper viewing of the beer and really, it just looks a bit on the trashy side. So take the extra time and put the beer in some real glassware. Wine glasses can be bought in 4 packs at a cheap price. There is no reason to go all out on the glasses.

Glassware can affect how the beer is perceived by the palette.

When you are set with this step, make sure that you have a pitcher of water as well as what is called a “swill-bucket.” The water can be poured into the glass and used to cleanse the palette after each beer as well as to rinse the glasses after each sample. Once the glasses have been rinsed, that water must be poured into the bucket as to ensure there is no contamination of beer. Your guests want to taste one beer at a time and enjoy them, make sure that they do that.

Along with the water, have some palette cleansing foods available. These could simply be bread, crackers, or even popcorn. Some parties have gone as far as to having chicken wings at their parties. You could also serve fruits, cruidités, mild cheeses, and lastly patés. If you wanted the party to last a bit longer, you could decide to do a full course menu and actually make a beer dinner out of the event.

Proper temp is crucial!

Once all the preparation is set and your guests are invited, make sure to take your beer out of the refrigerator to allow it to come to proper temperature. Americans are often thought to drink beer at too cold of a temperature, which does not allow all the full flavors of particular beer styles to make themselves known. Typically, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the temperature. For those beers, you will want the beer at 55-60°F. For reference, these styles would be your barley wines, dark ales, imperial stouts, imperial IPA’s. For beers like your standard ales, IPA’s, dobbel bocks, abbey ales, lambics, and stouts, you will want them at a temperature range of 50-55°F. Lastly, your lagers, pilsners, and wheat beers will ideally be served at 45-50°F.

When pouring the beer, make sure to remember that you and your guests are sampling the beer. You don’t need to pour them a full glass. Typically, a good sized sample is about a third of a glass. You could go a bit smaller but not too much. Make sure that there is enough there so people are able to taste the beer and enjoy it. If a guest wants more of a particular beer, there will be extra. If you want to get an idea of how much to pour into the glasses, practice before the party with some water.

Make sure to allot enough time so that people will be able to digest and get the alcohol through their systems. It is not a good idea to send guests out on the roads drunk or buzzed. Be responsible. You are the host. You could invite some non-drinkers to the party or arrange a way for your guests to get home. Again, you could also make it so there is enough time for your guests to get sober. The choice is up to you.

So if you are thinking of throwing a beer-tasting party, make sure to take these simple steps. It will make for a night of great fun with friends and great beer. Get your guests vocal about how they felt about each brew. Maybe incorporate a game between each beer. Have fun with it; don’t just throw the beer styles at your guests to have them sample the beer. And as always, be responsible. Don’t drive drunk or let your friends drive drunk. Enjoy!

How do you enjoy your favorite beer? At room temp, colder, warmer? We would love to know! Please make sure to comment below!