While wine tasting parties have become very popular, most of us have not heard of beer tasting parties. However, if you host or attend a beer tasting party, you will discover a great way to spend time with friends and discover some great beers that you might not have had the opportunity to otherwise try.
Beer tasting parties can be as large or as small as you like, but experts recommend between 4 to 10 guests as the best number of people to invite.
To truly learn about the beers, select beers from a variety of brewing styles i.e. Pilsner, Porter, Bock rather than from the country of origin. For a beer tasting, the glasses should not be completely filled (each sample should be no more than 1/3 of a cup). You’ll need two 12-ounce bottles of each beer for every eight people. Make sure that your glasses are clean, any soapy residue can alter the look and taste of the beer. To find the perfect glass for each beer, check out “beer 101” on our site under the News & Events Section.
You can sample a wide variety of beers, but remember to sample your selections from the lightest flavors to the heaviest. Remember that not all light colored beers are light tasting beers, and that unlike wine, beer must be swallowed to taste the hop bitterness on the back of the tongue.
Give each guest a beer tasting scoring sheet so that they can make notes on each beer. Also consider giving each guest some basic information about each beer i.e. style, brewer, country of origin and any other pertinent information.
You can also try serving a multi-course meal and pair each beer with a different course or serve a variety of cheeses, breads, crackers and fruits.
After you have finished your samplings, your guests can participate in a lively conversation comparing notes. As host/hostess you can tally your guests’ results and rate everyone’s samplings in order of guests’ favorites. Remember that there is no right way to have a beer sampling party and the most important thing to remember is to have fun!
View photos from a Beer Tasting Party
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