Wedding brews

As the subject says I have permission from SWMBO and my wedding venue to have some homebrew at my wedding in August. I am hoping to have three options available. There are going to be the traditional commercial beers available so I don't necessarily have to make for the masses. I figure I want to have an IPA on tap as well as a wheat if someone wants to try homebrew but is a BMC person. What do I have as my third homebrew? I have asked several people what they recommend and the feedback I received ranges from another IPA to a stout to an amber and everything else imaginable. *So homebrewing community what are your thoughts?

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Belgian strong dark ale for something very different than the other choices. I've found that some wine people that don't like beer will enjoy a strong dark ale.

Also check out the Centennial
Blonde Ale recipe that's big here on the forums. It hits a nice balance between BMCers and craft beer people, too. Big crowd pleaser.

Personally, I would do my best APA, fruit beer, and darker porter/stout.

I just got married and got 5 craft beer kegs (Unfortunately, I couldnt brew for the wedding due to moving issues). The hoppy beers were not crowd pleasers while the pale ales and ambers were.

I went to a buddys wedding and he had a homebrewed peach ale keg and a imperial chocolate stout keg. Both were hits. He kept the hoppiness down with the peach ale and the chocolate was very overwhelming in the stout. This apparently appealed to people.

With this said: Unless you are catering to a craft brew crowd, you might want to consider keeping hop bitterness to a minimum and having options that appeal to the masses (after all this wedding isnt for you -thats just what they tell you).

I think the wheat beer is a great idea. I even like your idea of a IPA but would keep the on the low range of the scale (maybe even malt forward, very citrusy,fruity).

If I were you I would add a amber or a porter/stout as the third beer (unless its a summer wedding-then I would do a fruit beer). The porter or stout would probably include expresso/coffee/chocolate. That way people can get their caffeine/sugar fix while still getting drunk.

I just brewed a barley wine for my sons wedding in August. I hope it turns out, Big grain bill.

I am getting married in August as well. My plan so far is my IPA (west-coast style), kolsch, something with wheat and a fourth... I haven't decided on the last one. I don't like wheats so I'll have to figure out something. I might go with a mild of some kind as a session beer. Knowing the people that are coming I expect the IPA and the wheat to be the big hits.

Also I'm going to make an apple champagne type thing for the toast. Just something from juice, high alcohol, dry and bubbly. At least those are my plans. We will see when my new brew house gets here...

Congrats!

And somewhere around here there's a thread with tons of wedding beer names. Among the "ball and chain" jokes, there are some good ones like "Hoppily Ever After" and "For Richer or for Porter." Cheers!

sandyeggoxj said:

I am getting married in August as well. My plan so far is my IPA (west-coast style), kolsch, something with wheat and a fourth...

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How are you for Saisons? That would fit the time of year, and be a nice, lively style which a lot of people could enjoy. True, some may be put off by the funk, but a cooler than usual fermentation (under 75 deg. F) would give a cleaner interpretation of the style that would work for many people.

Alternately, a cream ale or a lighter blonde ale would be a good choice to appeal to the BMC drinkers, while still have enough character to be of interest. True, the Kolsch would also fill that niche, that may still be more than some drinkers would want.

As for the IPA, I would personally favor an English IPA over a West Coast IPA, simply because a lot of people, even craft drinkers, are put off by the really aggressive hopping of most AIPAs. True, AIPAs are all the rage right now, but not everyone wants something that bitter. A more subtle hand may be a good idea, unless you are certain that your friends will appreciate something that hoppy.

I have recently done a brewfest where the mix of people was wildly extreme, everyone from the beer snob to the lite/light bmc drinker. The beer that went over the best was a Duvel clone, it was loved by all. So I say a Belgian Golden Strong.

I'm going to suggest an Irish Red Ale. Nothing crazy but when brewed properly it is loved by all. Congrats. I would also consider a nice label or at least graphic to give your homebrew that personal touch. It will make your beer taste better- no doubt.

Biermunchers Bass Clone has been a universally loved beer at every major event I've brewed for. We pushed a full barrel (31G) at my wedding and 36G at my brothers. Its got great flavor, not too heavy, and great color. Just my 2 cents

golfingdiver72 said:

What do I have as my third homebrew?

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Something massive like a Barleywine or Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Maybe a high gravity Tripel? A Quad? Anything above 10% is a must. Your wedding will be memorable...at least before they started drinking...

Schol-R-LEA said:

How are you for Saisons? That would fit the time of year, and be a nice, lively style which a lot of people could enjoy. True, some may be put off by the funk, but a cooler than usual fermentation (under 75 deg. F) would give a cleaner interpretation of the style that would work for many people.

Alternately, a cream ale or a lighter blonde ale would be a good choice to appeal to the BMC drinkers, while still have enough character to be of interest. True, the Kolsch would also fill that niche, that may still be more than some drinkers would want.

As for the IPA, I would personally favor an English IPA over a West Coast IPA, simply because a lot of people, even craft drinkers, are put off by the really aggressive hopping of most AIPAs. True, AIPAs are all the rage right now, but not everyone wants something that bitter. A more subtle hand may be a good idea, unless you are certain that your friends will appreciate something that hoppy.

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Saison was on the list of options. I don't really like them that much, but a good one is drinkable. Most of my family is from the west coast and favors the west coast style, and for that matter so does her family. There will be demand for something else though. I thought about the barleywine but I don't think I can produce something soon enough so that it has enough age on it. If I could brew it in the next week or two that would work but I don't think I'll be operational again until April.

I brewed for my nephew's wedding. I had the centennial blonde mentioned above, a hoppy IPA, and a few stouts (much less as I wasn't expecting a lot of stout drinkers).

The stouts went first, followed by the IPA. We didn't get through all the blonde.

If I were to do it again, I'd have more stout, and would change the blonde for a amber (on the lighter, maltier side, vs the hoppy reds).

Keep in mind that I'm in Portland, Oregon, and craft beer is much more popular than other places.

Deception Cream Stout - that is a very popular beer and the sweet taste will draw in a lot of people who don't normally drink dark beer. The dark beer lovers will enjoy it too! That is my most popular beer amongst all types of drinkers.

Congrats. My son will wed Labor Day weekend, so I have the same quandary. I'm thinking IPA, Belgian Wheat and a Nut Brown. I'll probably change my mind several times. Also considering a cream ale for the BMC crowd or a Belgian Tripel for me.

Having my wedding on Labor Day weekend and thinking of doing a Kentucky Common Ale a lot of macro drinks like it. A saison and then probably a wit


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