How many beers per person at a wedding

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mack25

mack25

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SWMBO and I are doing some wedding planning tonight. For a 1 hr cocktail hr & 4 hr reception, what's a good guess on number of beers per person? There are a few big drinkers in our crowd.

Right now we're leaning toward somewhere between 6 or 8 beers per person - possibly as much as 10. Any thoughts?

Oh, and this is just beer, not wine, liquor & soft drinks. Those calculations are being done separately.
 
Keep in mind that you are riding a thin line here. Most states have a regulated amount of homebrew you can serve one individual. The law in my state says no more than 72 oz in one period of time. In VA you're required to have an off-duty police officer at your reception, so you should definitely be careful about the law.

It also depends on what kind of beer you're serving-- are they summertime guzzlers or real heavy porters/bocks?
 
We're having commercial, not homebrew. And yep, there will be a detail on site. Good to know though, thanks for the info.

the beers will be a mix of crowd pleasers (sam adams, guinness)
 
"Bring a pitcher of beer every 10 minutes until someone passes out, then bring one every 15 minutes"

Rodney Dangerfield
 
What's your crowd like? Do you expect a lot of dancing? If so I'd say anywhere from 4-7 beers pp and 2-3 cocktails pp. Same goes for wine.
 
There will be dancing. So yeah, people gonna get thirsty. Guess that means we ought to have lots of ice water with ice too.
 
You might want to think seriously about the possible consequences of serving people who may be driving as many as 10 beers... as a host it is your responsibility to send your guests away safely. It almost sounds more like the keggers I would go to as a teenager than an adult gathering. Just MHO
 
Yes, yes, and yes. Are you providing all the alcohol or is it going to be done through a business? If so, I would meet with your bartenders ahead of time and tell them to encourage water in between beers. I've been at far too many weddings only to see someone faint from heat+alcohol.
 
bottlebomber said:
You might want to think seriously about the possible consequences of serving people who may be driving as many as 10 beers... as a host it is your responsibility to send your guests away safely. It almost sounds more like the keggers I would go to as a teenager than an adult gathering. Just MHO
Click to expand...

Relatively confident that the heavy drinkers will have hotel rooms within walking distance. The number 10 is a very high end, mostly because we're petrified of running out, not that we expect dozens of people drinking that much.
 
then again, if people are drinking at that rate, maybe it's better to run out. Thanks all, we're thinking an average of 6 beers per is a good number.
 
At my wedding a couple months ago we averaged about five drinks per person over four hours, which was spot on with what most of the venues we met with told us. For every person who drinks ten beers there is someone who has one and heads home early. Granted, you know your crowd better than us and running out of booze is a bad thing. If you are just planning on having kegs maybe buy a case or two as a back up.
 

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