Making beer for a wedding!

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HomeBrewGuy89

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So I am getting married here in about 7 months and have decided to make 2 batches of beer for the wedding. There will be ~250 people and thought that 20 gallons would suffice. I would like to make 2 different kinds of beer, thus making two 10 gallon batches of each.

I'd like some suggestions/recommendations as what type of beer I should be making as this is my chance to shine as a home-brewer where hundreds of people get to try my beer :) I'm thinking along the lines of going with a cream ale and a nice mild IPA, maybe a hefe since it is summer.

My next question is where can I get custom labels for a fair price for say 300 bottles? I have looked around and all I can find is very high priced labels that would cost more then the beer! Not looking for anything fancy just a custom label.

All/any suggestions are welcome! You guys know more then me!
 
Well twenty gallons would be less than a beer each but there must be non-drinkers? One gallon is about 10 beers...
 
a full sized keg is about 140 beers minus spillage and foam so call it 120 full pints. If half the people are drinking one beer each then a single half-barrel keg (15.5gal) would barely be enough.

20 gallons is not enough, unless you plan to also serve wine, or wine and hard A.

I'm in the same boat. I am getting married and plan to brew for the reception, I can brew on a larger than average scale. we are expecting 100 people up to 150 kids and all. I figure half the people will want beer and the rest will have wine or soft drinks. So One keg MIGHT be enough for all the beer drinkers who want a couple cold ones. I'm thinking Maibock. I can brew this month and lager until July in the keezer--- YUM
 
a full sized keg is about 140 beers minus spillage and foam so call it 120 full pints. If half the people are drinking one beer each then a single half-barrel keg (15.5gal) would barely be enough.

20 gallons is not enough, unless you plan to also serve wine, or wine and hard A.

I'm in the same boat. I am getting married and plan to brew for the reception, I can brew on a larger than average scale. we are expecting 100 people up to 150 kids and all. I figure half the people will want beer and the rest will have wine or soft drinks. So One keg MIGHT be enough for all the beer drinkers who want a couple cold ones. I'm thinking Maibock. I can brew this month and lager until July in the keezer--- YUM

Not that I can read the OP's mind, but I would assume that he is going to have a full bar on top on featuring his own home brewing talents
 
Guess I should of elaborated on this a little more....there will be wine! And my fiancee's side of the family does not drink so only about 1/3 of the people there will drink and from that number you can split it between wine and beer so 20 gallons is plenty. The amount of beer is not my concern (I know how much I'll need) I am just looking for some insight as to what type would be a good choice?

You make a good point on the IPA....not to many people like them from my experience. I don't know what a "wit" is but I'll look into it!

My biggest concern is the labels though. How many of you guys label your beer? The prices I have found are like $300 to label 20 gallons of beer! Too much for my taste.

P.S. I'll be putting them in 12 oz bottles, so I guess around 200 labels
 
Thats a lot of work bottling and labeling. Have you considered kegging? if you dont have full blown CO2, you can prime as for bottling, then get a portable co2 dispinser (i think there about $20 + the mini cartidges like you use for a bb gun) You could make a couple "jumbo" labels to identify the kegs. Otherwise, I'd consider printing or copying at a local copy shop, cutting and gluing...
 
Popular styles: cream ale, pale ale, and lager. Keep the bitterness low.
A tip: avoid the bottles and labels. That's a lot of work to do for a busy time in your life. Besides, homebrew belongs in a glass where you can appreciate the colour and smell. Put it all in 2L pop bottles under the bar and write the names of the beer on masking tape with a sharpie. Use the KISS principle for a wedding. You'll get enough stress from other sources (future wife and in laws)
 
Ditto to the post above or keg it! That day is busy enough. I should know I did it twice!
 
Guess I should of elaborated on this a little more....there will be wine! And my fiancee's side of the family does not drink so only about 1/3 of the people there will drink and from that number you can split it between wine and beer so 20 gallons is plenty. The amount of beer is not my concern (I know how much I'll need) I am just looking for some insight as to what type would be a good choice?

You make a good point on the IPA....not to many people like them from my experience. I don't know what a "wit" is but I'll look into it!

My biggest concern is the labels though. How many of you guys label your beer? The prices I have found are like $300 to label 20 gallons of beer! Too much for my taste.

P.S. I'll be putting them in 12 oz bottles, so I guess around 200 labels

belgian wit.. commercial examples are blue moon or hoegaarden

And for as labeling... All I do is put colored dots on the cap to signify what the beer is and being as you are brewing for a wedding; you should have a bar tender and that technique should work for you if you so choose to use it
 
Golden ale, pale ale, wit, Heferwizzen, brown ale. All very good very drinkable and not too fancy
 
Just my own two cents... your instinct on cream ales is a good one. Girls will drink cream ales, and tipsy women make for an excellent reception :)

Hefe is a good choice, or a golden ale. Belgian wit or some other Weiss beer would work well, too...
 
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