Wedding Brew

Originally I wan't going to post this, but after looking at the scant amount of information out there I thought it might encourage others to do the same.

OK, so this October I am getting married and SWMBO gave me the go-ahead to brew ALL of the beer for the wedding, 160 people or so attending.

Since we decided I was going to brew, I have increased my corny collection from 5 to 11 kegs. I have a single-tap kegerator which I plan to use, but I also plan to build a tap-board of sorts by mounting picnic taps somehow (to be determined).

As for the beer, in order to try and please everyone I came up with a beer list that is pretty diverse.

As of today this is how it stands:

Coffee Oatmeal Stout 6.5% ABV
(blended with some remaining barrel-aged imperial stout and a blonde roast coffee from a local micro-roaster)

Irish Red Ale 6% ABV

Oktoberfest with Wyeast California Lager yeast, still lagering but guessing 5%ABV

Saison

That's what I have brewed, all in 5 gallon batches. Today and tomorrow I plan to brew a hop-bomb Double IPA and a Pumpkin Lager on the Cal Lager yeast cake.

Two weeks from now I will have my last brew day before the festivities. I am planning to do an American Pale Ale with homegrown hops and a German Dunkelweissen.

It will be in the fall so I am trying to brew seasonally-appropriate, keeping in mind there not everyone will be as excited for a 100 IBU, 7 variety Imperial IPA.

In the manic next few weeks I will try an keep this updated to the best of my ability.

I'd throw in a batch of "Cream of Three Crops" for the BMC crowd.

I was thinking about scrapping the Dunkel and doing some sort of cream ale. I tasted the Oktoberfest on its way into secondary and its pretty mild, malty but not anything too out there. Was hoping that would be enough, but I probably should make a lower ABV BMC-style for the less-adventurous.

Do you happen to have a COTC recipe you'd recommend? I've never made a cream ale before. Also, I could probably get away with splitting that California Lager yeast cake but I don't know how much time that would take before serving.

I need everything carbed, in kegs, and ready to serve by Friday Oct 4th at the absolute latest.

Since it's a wedding, how about a White IPA?

Forgot to list I also made two batches of cider. One plain and another with blackberries and raspberries (5lbs for 5 gallons).

I have two "vacant" brew slots remaining. I think I will take Sooner's advice and make some sort of cream ale instead of a dunkel. I will have homegrown cascade, chinook, and galena in a week or two and planned to do something with them. I already have an over-the-top IPA and was thinking something more in the realm of SN or Harpoon IPA hop-level. I guess I could do that as a white...

First of all, congrats on the wedding! I hope you have a wonderful life together.

I'm not sure what ABV you plan on for the ones not indicated, but I would suggest at least a couple/few fairly low ABV but flavorful options (~4% or so for the BMC crowd that isn't used to much more alcohol). Perhaps the Pumpkin Lager could be dialed back a bit if it's up there. You don't want any of your guests to have an accident or get a DUI. Six percent isn't very high but it can catch up to you quick if you've had a few in a short period of time. I imagine that DIPA/IIPA is going to have some kick! That's probably the one I'd be hitting

Again, congrats and have a wonderful wedding!

Just search on here for Cream of Three Crops. Should be a post from Biermuncher.

Update:

Yesterday I got some serious work accomplished on my "tap box". I framed out a 24x18x16 inch box with 2x3s. Then I faced off the front, sides, and top with 1/4inch plywood. The top, sides, and bottom were covered with old barnboard.

A little seat-of-the-pants engineering yielded success for mounting the taps. The top pine board was drilled out with a 1/2" bit through the plywood facing. The bottom piece of pine was notched with a biscut cutter for the little tab on the picnic tap to sit in. I routered out the back of the top pine piece so there is space for the worm clamp.

Only things left is to sand and paint the pine boards (plan on using chalkboard paint) and to mount the taps/hosing. The box did wind up being heavier than I planned so I may put some wrought iron handles on the sides.

At around 37 pints per 5 gallons 11 kegs is gonna put out around 400 pints. You think 160 people (not all of them will drink) would really drink that much beer? Quite the endeavor but you'll definitely have some leftovers. Perhaps take a keg with ya on the honeymoon!

Oh and congrats!

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Also, it lets me brew a wide variety of styles, so hopefully there will be something for everyone. Plus, I was able to expand my homebrew equipment in the wedding budget.

Update on the tap box.

The picnic taps and tubing came in the other day so I mounted those on the box. I also painted the front pine boards in chalkboard paint for labeling the taps. With the keg connections, tubing, taps, wood, and paint the whole project was less than $150.

I figure I can keep this on a table in the bar area and just have the kegs on ice underneath, hidden by a tablecloth. In the future I could probably incorporate this with a keezer setup.

I'd probably also put some ice inside that box or the lines will warm up in between pours. It looks good though. Very rustic.

You could probably find a rubber maid bin that fits inside the box that you could toss some ice into. Put the beer lines into the ice bucket to keep them cool as Travestian suggested.

I just served some homebrewers at my cousin's wedding. With just over 100 guests I served 30 gallons (6 corneys) and it was just enough. I'd say you'll probably have more than needed but you may be surprised how much your guests will drink. Especially if they're looking forward to trying your awesome craft home brew.

A couple tips - you'll definitely need something to catch the drips. Sometimes people leave the taps open and don't realize till beer is spraying onto the floor. Or, people aren't always good about letting the drips clear before walking away. I also noticed that a lot of people don't know the proper way to pour so they end up with a cup of foam and then want to dump it out and try again. This will increase your output and you'll need somewhere to dispose of the beer nearby. Basically don't underestimate people's ignorance, carelessness, and/or drunkenness. Just prepare for it and take it in stride. On the plus side you'll blow people's minds when you say you made this.

Good luck with everything. Have fun.

Also, I do not know your practices, but if you are going to be moving the kegs, you probably want to filter into the keg or transfer to different kegs after carbonation/cold crashing in the keg. This will keep the beer clearer by not allowing the sediment/yeast from going back into solution when the kegs are moved/bumped around.

Travestian said:

I'd probably also put some ice inside that box or the lines will warm up in between pours. It looks good though. Very rustic.

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I was thinking of throwing a sump pump into a bucket of ice water and letting a tube circulate among bundled tap lines before dumping back into the bucket of ice. I don't expect beer to sit in the lines too long though so I don't m ow how neccesary that would be.

Do I NEED a drip tray, or could I get away with a handful of towels laid down?

You'll be picking up and changing out wet towels soaked in beer..........

Find a rectangular, disposable aluminum baking pan, or a short section of rain gutter, ( aluminum or vinyl), with 2 glued on end caps............It's to be a mobile setup, right?

You don't NEED a drip tray but you WILL have drips. A lot of drips. People fill their cups and walk away without any concern for the mess that accumulates beneath the taps (if only they could wait 3 seconds to catch the last drips of foam before they're done). A towel is fine, but bring a few to change them often. A bread pan is good, or maybe get an aluminum BBQ drip pan. If you buy a chrome heater vent and put it on top of a bread pan you have a quick cheap drip tray that looks half decent.

Travestian said:

At around 37 pints per 5 gallons 11 kegs is gonna put out around 400 pints. You think 160 people (not all of them will drink) would really drink that much beer? Quite the endeavor but you'll definitely have some leftovers. Perhaps take a keg with ya on the honeymoon!

Oh and congrats!

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I'm in the middle of wedding planning and all the places we've looked will quote you about 3 drinks per person average. That's 480 pints.

First of all, best of luck to you and yours, may it be a happy and long marriage.

I'm going to post an extensive after action report next month on homebrewing my wedding, which is happening next week. That report will be a day late and a dollar short for you, OP, so here's as much as I can remember right now.

We're going into it with the following:
5 gallons IPA (planned name: "I'll have what the guy on the floor is having," it's 8%)
5 gallons Gluten-free (named Gluten Luck)
10 gallons Harpoon Winter Warmer clone (named SpousAle Privilege)
10 gallons Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout Clone (No way out Stout)
10 gallons Bavarian Hefeweizen (Cold Feet Wheat)
10 gallons Belgian Wit (Wit Wedding)
10 gallons Kolsch (Dërstücknaü)

6 gallons Pino Grigio
6 gallons Chardonnay
6 gallons Cab
6 gallons Merlot
6 gallons White Zin
6 gallons Sauv Blanc
6 gallons Pineapple Wine

Additionally there will be a champagne toast, margarita fountain, and home made limoncello. WAY TOO MUCH alcohol. I'm hoping that by oversupplying I can publish some accurate numbers as to my experience, because of exactly what you said - there isn't really solid information about homebrewing weddings. There's bits and pieces, but nothing paints a complete picture (i.e. sure, you brewed X batches, but was liquor available? how many guests?) It seems like everything I've seen on it is pretty incomplete.

We are anticipating exactly what you are - that our bud light society will prefer something light to something heavy or hoppy.

Kolsch - our answer to this bud light world.
Hefe, belgian white - Hefes are growing in popularity and a belgian white is our answer to the ubiquitous blue moon.
IPA - his
Stout - hers
Winter Warmer - ours.
Gluten free - some guests are gluten free
Wine - cross section of red, white, and rose. We were actually going to name the red "his," the white "hers," and the blush "ours" but that never materialized. Neat idea, maybe you can use it.

So 6 batches to answer to the timid, 5 batches for what we like, and 1 batch for the gluten free, organic, free range, small batch, locally sourced, fair trade, trans-fat-free minded guests.

We brewed and vinted a lot because we started brewing before the last RSVP date, during which time the school year caused a precipitous drop in attendance - I believe we're now expecting 140, down from 200. Additionally, we brewed a lot to address the concern that we didn't know what people would drink - so if there is a run on one style and another is unpopular, the aim is to mitigate that via quantity.

I'll do my best to get you numbers on beverages consumed per person and per style as soon as I can. If I find the time to post, the only day it will happen will be one week from Sunday so don't hold out for me if you don't see a post on that day.

In attempt to vomit some (hopefully) useful information, here we go:

- Make sure your venue allows home brew and that your caterer is comfortable with kegs - ours insisted on bottles.
- Should you bottle, I recommend the blichmann beer gun, doing so will eliminate the possibility of giving everyone the runs if the caterer doesn't pour the beer without the yeast
- Scheduling fermenter space and time was crucial. My 3 fermenters quickly expanded to 9 fermenters to accommodate the load. The wine ate a lot of fermenter time.
- Batches of the same type of beer were brewed on the same brewing day and then blended at kegging time to aid product consistency.
- We are providing the caterer with disposable tasting glasses to avoid wounded soldiers (victims of not liking a beer style), but if you're kegging you might not need that.
- It sounds like you're building a single serving station, logistically that might cause some bottlenecking. We are having two serving stations, but with kegs you might not be able to do that. Just food for thought.
- hop boutonnieres for the groom and groomsman are available on etsy, a neat compliment to the homebrew theme.
- For an inexpensive chalkboard explaining what's available (name/style/abv, etc) we are using posterboard sprayed with chalkboard paint.
- You may want to bottle some anyways - we are giving away bottles as party favors. Very inexpensive and we hope that it will be a nice touch. Cardstock + laser printer + spray glue + clear protective coat for moisture.
- use this as an excuse to upgrade your brewing gear. SWMBO will approve just about anything! :rockin:
- Cork escort card holders will also contribute a subtle touch.

You seem to be relatively aware of all/most that, so it might not have helped at all. Just figured I'd spit out some information in hopes that something is useful.

I don't have all my files and bookmarks on this computer, but if you want the .psd files for the labels let me know, otherwise I'll just post them next month after the honeymoon. A guy has an awesome tutorial on this forum about labeling, basically it amounts to spraying the outside with clear stuff to waterproof it and then spraying the other side with spray glue to stick it. Works great based on our trial runs. One of the recent BYO magazines had an article showing some pretty slick homebrew labels. Be ready to temporarily rubberband the labels in place if the glue doesn't grab right away.

Man you guys must have lax alcohol laws in your state or something?

In Oregon its a huge PITA to serve home brew at a wedding. Mostly because you need to have a state licensed server who is insured to serve any alcohol.
And no random server your hiring is going to take a chance on serving home brew that could potentially make them liable if it makes people sick.

We will probably just go the party favors route, make up 100 or so 22's for people to take as they leave.


Also ^^ what the hell? Lol did you even notice that the dog picture looks like the male is humping the female dog? I can even tell just from the silhouette.

I brewed for my sister-in-law's wedding a month ago. There were about 150 guests and most were over 21. Mixed between BMC drinkers and those who appreciate better beer.

BM's Centennial Blonde - 15 gallons, served during the dinner and at the house party following
Dogfish Head 90 Minute clone - 15 gallons, served during the dinner and the house party following
Dogfish Head Indian Brown clone - 10 gallons, only at the house party
Mystery Brown (second runnings from IB + 3lbs LME and some random hops) - 5 gallons, only at the house party

10 gallons of the Centennial Blonde and 5 gallons of 90 Minute were gone by the end of dinner. Wine was also served. When the Blonde ran out at the house party, those people switched to either wine or the Indian Brown. There's quite a few people who just don't like IPAs, apparently. We ended the night with about 3 gallons of 90 Minute and 2 gallons of the Mystery Brown left. All the Indian Brown and Centennial Blonde was gone.

Word of advice: *find somebody to manage the kegs and taps*. Do not do this yourself, it will hugely cut down on your enjoyment of the night. You are going to be talking to people and having fun, you don't want to be watching the keg levels and running to get another keg or swapping disconnects when one runs out. Find somebody you trust, who isn't going to get completely ****-faced, and teach them what to do. Then go have fun.

causeimthesquid, I haven't posted here in a long time, but your thread brought me back.

I just got married on the 10th of August. Brewed beer with my now brother-in-law and my brother for the wedding. ~20 gallons of raspberry wheat, ~20 gallons of chocolate stout, and ~15 gallons of IPA.

We had 213 guests, and holy cow was it a great time!

I bottled the chocolate stout in 22 oz bottles, and used my jockeybox with 2 taps for the IPA/Rasp Wheat. This made a lot of sense since the chocolate stout tastes much better at a different volume of CO2, which allowed me to serve both the rasp wheat, and IPA at their proper serving pressure/volumes CO2.

By the next day, the IPA was gone, 5 gallons of chocolate stout left, and 10 gallons of raspberry wheat left. All-in-all, it was just a perfect time! The brews were highly complimented, and many people now want me to help them do the same for their weddings at some point. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

To reiterate what dcbw said, find someone to manage the kegs/taps. You won't have time, trust me. You're going to have to have a bartender to serve, at least in WA that's the law. And so long as you get the jockey box set up properly, it's not hard to swap the tap(s). Another bit of advice, let a few groomsmen know how to swap it too. You're going to be far busier than they are, so in the event the bartender forgets, you've got backups to yourself.

Based on the recent posts I suppose I should follow up with a little more detail on HOW I plan to accomplish this.

We will have two bartenders. There will be commercial wine available (J. Lohr Cabernet and Merlot, some sort of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, and Oh Schist! Reisling - which as a geologist I find fantastic). We also intend on having a VERY limited liquor selection. One bottle of rum (Thomas Tew), bourbon (haven't decided yet), vodka (belvedere), and gin (Hendricks). We are assuming we will run out of liquor but that is a good thing once things get latter into the night.

We are also providing a shuttle to the hotel for those that want it. It is approximately a 25 minute drive through winding country roads. We want our guests to have fun, but also be safe. We are getting married at a 500+ acre estate and those that want to stay in the guest house (~30 beds) or camp on the premise are invited to do so.

As our wedding favors/seating number we are doing handled-mason jars with name tags on them. These will also serve as pint glasses for the night.

Two members of the grooms party have been put in charge of the beer. They both homebrew so I am comfortable in their ability to manage swaping connections or any serving pressure issues.

I also will have a case or two of Budweiser for those several family members who may not drink anything otherwise (but these will not be advertised).

In lieu of a champagne toast, we are using Pumpkin Cider from one of my favorite cider-makers in NY (I used to live down the road from them).

As others have mentioned here, I have attempted to address the issue of pleasing everyone's tastes by having a lot of different styles available. The final tap list is as follows (5 gallons of each).

Blackberry Cider
Hard Apple Cider
Coffee Stout
Irish Red Ale
Pumpkin Lager
Saison
Oktoberfest
American Pale Ale (with homegrown hops)
Cream of Three Crops Lager
Over-the-Top IPA (with over 1 lb of hops)

And I have also made 2 cases of bottled rootbeer to serve.


I am waiting to hear Frog's AAR on how his wedding went. It will be to late to make any beer adjustments, but hopefully serving kinks can be worked out.

You definitely seem to have done your homework. The whole event sounds like it will be quite the party. I'm just wondering where in the mail my invite got lost...

Leftovers:

0 IPA
30 Kolsh
24 hefe
30 wit
36 stout
42 red ale
2-3 gluten free

Gluten free and IPA was a lot more popular than we would have guessed.

No numbers on wine. Hopefully that helps.

Thanks Frog

What were your initial bottle counts? Was it a serve yourself system or did you have a bartender? Any bottlenecking issues by the bar?

Thanks and congratulations

So it is done. Our wedding was a great time, and I am updating how the brews went from our honeymoon out in the Southern Sierra Nevadas.

Major takeaway, more people will drink homebrewed beer than if it were commercial beer. My uncle who drinks "1 pint per month, or less" and generally sticks to red wine had at least one pint of every beer on tap.

We had 145 guests, 2 bartenders, and two of my groomsmen overseeing keg issues (serving pressure, swapping kegs, etc).

The initial tap list was: Double IPA, Pumpkin Lager, Oatmeal Stout, Oktoberfest, and Blackberry Cider. The Double IPA was kicked within 20 minutes of cocktail hour and replaced with an Irish Red. Before dinner was completed the Irish Red, Oktoberfest, and Oatmeal Stout were out. They were replaced with Saison, Cream of 3 Crops, and a plain hard cider. At this point, we also had a 5 gallon keg of commercial brew, Torpedo, tapped and flowing. By the end of the night there was about 1 gallon of Saison and 2 gallons of plain hard cider left. In hindsight, its a good thing we had extra commercial beer (bottled bud and becks were also available). I had a 1/2 bbl of commercial brown ale on tap in the guest house for people who were staying over multiple nights and that was brought in as standby.

It was a great time and I am so glad I brewed beer for the wedding. All of the guests loved it and it was a great personal touch. I would recommend anyone who has the chance to do the same.

And finally, a thank you to those here who provided insight and helped me put this all together. Its much more relieving to have fellow brewers input than just friends who like the free beer.

You're making me nervous now. I brewed 80 gallons for a friends wedding, they have 200 people invited I thought that was WAY too much.

morehpperliter said:

You're making me nervous now. I brewed 80 gallons for a friends wedding, they have 200 people invited I thought that was WAY too much.

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I thought I had way too much as well. Maybe its because I was the groom that people really wanted to try the brews, maybe not. I'd recommend getting a commercial keg just in case; I know it paid off for us.

Its better to have too much beer than to run out. It could be that my friends and family are a bunch of lushes too. I did notice that almost 2/3 of the drinking took place before the main course was served. Perhaps that can serve as a bench mark and just make sure someone is capable of making a beer run if need be.

I hope your beer is a hit and well appreciated.