What used to be a select group, craft brewers, have become mainstream and everyone is trying craft beers. If you haven’t gone to your local tasting room then today you are in for a treat! We are giving you a little beer tasting party 101 so you can host your next beer party! What I love about this trend is guys can include it as part of their bachelor party, rehearsal dinner or even the wedding. So, if your guy is into beer then give him a little something to look forward to on the big day!
Step 1: What beer to buy?
After you figure out who will be attending your party make sure you appeal to everyone. If they are not big beer people or you are trying to convert them from their current beer then start off with something light. Opt for lagers/pilsners, golden/blonde ales and perhaps finish things off with a light pale ale or even a dry Irish stout aka “crossover” beers. The idea of a crossover beer is that it should be similar to the beer you are trying to crossover from so stay away from high calorie and over-the-top hoppy beer. Who knows once they’ve tried a few different things maybe they will be ready for something bolder.
If you already know the palate of your guests then think of something fun like a theme. Some themes might be: “Oktoberfest” (round up as many of these fest beers as possible), “Taste of Belgium” (Belgian beers on their own, or pairing Belgian beer with cheeses and chocolates), “Big Beer Bash” (hearty, high alcohol beers), or “A Winter Warmer” (winter warmers, spiced beers). Just make sure you have fun with it!
Step 2: Handling & Storing the Beer
Handle your beer with love and kid gloves. Beer should be stored in a consistent environment, away from heat and light which could spoil your beer. Ideally youll want to store your beer in the fridge, upright and between 45ºF and 55ºF.
Step 3: Serving the Beer
Americans tend to drink their beer way to cold. Follow these temps for whatever beer you will be serving and your guests will be pleasantly surprised when they taste beer at the proper temperature.
You can break serving temperatures into three general levels: 55ºF-60ºF (strong beers, like barleywines, dark ales), 50ºF-55ºF (standard ales, like bitters, IPAs, dobbelbocks, abbey ales, lambics, stouts, etc.) and 45ºF-50ºF (lighter beers, like lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, milds, etc.). Usually the higher the alcohol, the higher the temperature and the lower the alcohol, the lower the temperature.
Step Four: Tasting the Beer
Many “beer experts” suggest beers should be tasted from lightest to darkest. Color has nothing to do with your “tasting a beer.” You need to consider two things: alcohol content and hop levels. Keep your hoppy and high alcohol beers towards the end so you don’t ruin your palate early in the tasting.
Share your thoughts, describe what you’re tasting. If you have trouble finding the words, remember that beer is essentially a food, so try to identify similar food-like qualities you can use to describe the beer, such as: banana, caramel, citrus, toast, coffee, chocolate, etc. its all in beer.
Its highly recommended that you have some water as well as bread, crackers and even popcorn on hand to cleanse the palate between beers and to help stave off inebriation. Avoid salty foods or anything that could overpower the senses you want to clean the palate, not destroy it.
Last but certainly not least, have fun and enjoy hearing your friends and families opinion on your favorite beers!
Cheers! 🙂
Photo courtesy of Telluride Wedding Photogaphers, Houseman Studios.
