How to Hold a Beer Tasting Party
Invite a group of friends over for the beer tasting party., Purchase the beers for tasting., Set up the beer tasting area., Make beer tasting score sheets., Pour the beer., Encourage guests to try the beer in a suitable order., Encourage snacking in...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Invite a group of friends over for the beer tasting party.
Be sure that most of them enjoy beer.
Even those who don't like beer though, can be encouraged to at least try a few on the off chance that they might discover one they do like.
Send email invitations with photos of beers or make paper invitations in the shape of a beer bottle or similar.
Keep the group of friends small for the beer tasting event.
This makes it easier to spend time together and to keep the costs reasonable. -
Step 2: Purchase the beers for tasting.
There are several ways that you might approach this:
Buy a range of beers across different brands, randomly.
Buy a range of beers of a particular style (lager, ale, stout, etc.) Focus on the season and buy beers suited to the season (e.g., lager for summer, stout for winter) Pit imported beers against domestic beers, buy a few of each Try some organic beers Throw in some boutique or even some home-brewed beers if you can get some. , Display each bottle chosen so that guests can see what they're tasting.
Arrange 3 ounce sample glasses near the bottles for pouring samples of each beer into.
Note that the wider the glass, the better for the aroma of the beer, as your nose is an important part of the beer tasting process.
Also leave normal beer glasses for guests to help themselves to if they'd like to have more of any kind of beer; this is a party and their enjoyment comes first.
If you have the time and interest, search for some additional background information on the beers and make small background sheets or notes to accompany the bottles.
Guests could read out this information to each other or simply read it at their convenience. , A simple table can be produced on your computer that allows guests to rank taste, texture, finish, head, etc. of the beers.
Leave space for comments as well, as some guests might like to explore the taste impact further, pointing out fruity notes or how they didn't like the beer, etc.
Print off enough for guests, plus some spares.
Also find enough markers for each guest to use. , Don't fill the sample glasses.
Only pour about a third of a cup's worth into each sample glass.
This ensures that the aroma can fill the glass and prevents the over-indulgence of any beer by guests during the tasting stage. , Beer should be tasted in order of lightest flavors to heaviest.
This cannot be guessed by color alone; the more hoppy, high alcohol level beers should be left until last as they're the heaviest flavors.
Unlike wine, beer must be drunk, not swilled and spat out.
This is because some of the beer flavor is tasted at the back of the tongue and swallowing a few sips allows this flavor to be captured. , This will help to clear the palate between beer tastings, keep alcohol levels lower in the bloodstream and prevent hangovers from over-indulging in the beers.
Suitable snacks include crackers, cheese, fruit, raw vegetables and pates and dips. , There are several possible approaches to this, including:
Sending guests home with a goodie bag with a few beer samples inside and perhaps a beer inspired food item, such as a beer cake recipe or a bag of pretzels.
Award a prize for the most interesting or comprehensive tasting notes.
Have a blind tasting competition to see if guests can guess which beer they're tasting, awarding the prize to the guest with the most accurate guesses. -
Step 3: Set up the beer tasting area.
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Step 4: Make beer tasting score sheets.
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Step 5: Pour the beer.
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Step 6: Encourage guests to try the beer in a suitable order.
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Step 7: Encourage snacking in between all beer tasting.
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Step 8: Consider awarding prizes.
Detailed Guide
Be sure that most of them enjoy beer.
Even those who don't like beer though, can be encouraged to at least try a few on the off chance that they might discover one they do like.
Send email invitations with photos of beers or make paper invitations in the shape of a beer bottle or similar.
Keep the group of friends small for the beer tasting event.
This makes it easier to spend time together and to keep the costs reasonable.
There are several ways that you might approach this:
Buy a range of beers across different brands, randomly.
Buy a range of beers of a particular style (lager, ale, stout, etc.) Focus on the season and buy beers suited to the season (e.g., lager for summer, stout for winter) Pit imported beers against domestic beers, buy a few of each Try some organic beers Throw in some boutique or even some home-brewed beers if you can get some. , Display each bottle chosen so that guests can see what they're tasting.
Arrange 3 ounce sample glasses near the bottles for pouring samples of each beer into.
Note that the wider the glass, the better for the aroma of the beer, as your nose is an important part of the beer tasting process.
Also leave normal beer glasses for guests to help themselves to if they'd like to have more of any kind of beer; this is a party and their enjoyment comes first.
If you have the time and interest, search for some additional background information on the beers and make small background sheets or notes to accompany the bottles.
Guests could read out this information to each other or simply read it at their convenience. , A simple table can be produced on your computer that allows guests to rank taste, texture, finish, head, etc. of the beers.
Leave space for comments as well, as some guests might like to explore the taste impact further, pointing out fruity notes or how they didn't like the beer, etc.
Print off enough for guests, plus some spares.
Also find enough markers for each guest to use. , Don't fill the sample glasses.
Only pour about a third of a cup's worth into each sample glass.
This ensures that the aroma can fill the glass and prevents the over-indulgence of any beer by guests during the tasting stage. , Beer should be tasted in order of lightest flavors to heaviest.
This cannot be guessed by color alone; the more hoppy, high alcohol level beers should be left until last as they're the heaviest flavors.
Unlike wine, beer must be drunk, not swilled and spat out.
This is because some of the beer flavor is tasted at the back of the tongue and swallowing a few sips allows this flavor to be captured. , This will help to clear the palate between beer tastings, keep alcohol levels lower in the bloodstream and prevent hangovers from over-indulging in the beers.
Suitable snacks include crackers, cheese, fruit, raw vegetables and pates and dips. , There are several possible approaches to this, including:
Sending guests home with a goodie bag with a few beer samples inside and perhaps a beer inspired food item, such as a beer cake recipe or a bag of pretzels.
Award a prize for the most interesting or comprehensive tasting notes.
Have a blind tasting competition to see if guests can guess which beer they're tasting, awarding the prize to the guest with the most accurate guesses.
About the Author
Diane Howard
Committed to making home improvement accessible and understandable for everyone.
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