I'm brewing beer for 100's of people -- how much to brew?

A little info:

A very good friend is getting married September 21st, 2014. Their guest list of 150 includes some 100 beer enthusiasts.

Their beer menu is coming together: juicy IIPA, a big tripel, a proper wit and perhaps a fruit beer to round out the bunch.

How many servings of beer should I figure on brewing/kegging? 5 per person? 6? Is that too much? My beer will be the only beer served -- I'm not sure about the availability of wine/liquor.

Also, what ratio should there be of each beer? I'd imagine the wit will satisfy the bud light/blue moon crowd, so it might go faster than the others, etc.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Bump. I got lost in the flood.

at least 100 beer enthusiasts? I'd say at least 15-20 gallons of the wit. 10 gallons of the tripel (how farnackling strong we talking?). 15+ gallons of the IIPA.

At my wedding we went through just over two sankes for a little over 200 people. But we had wine and liquor.

I would suggest a good sessionable pale ale. With that amount of enthusiasts I doubt they would want to keep refilling big-sippers,and wits and fruit beers may not be generally as popular with enthusiasts to fall back on. If your dead set on what your brewing then I would say do more of the wit.

jonmohno said:

I would suggest a good sessionable pale ale. With that amount of enthusiasts I doubt they would want to keep refilling big-sippers,and wits and fruit beers may not be generally as popular with enthusiasts.

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that is a damn good point. maybe drop the IIPA to a regular IPA. keep the wit to around 10 gallons. and 5-8 gallons of the tripel. and a good sessionable APA. and maybe brew a small batch for a select few. something truly sipping worthy.

it all depends on how crazy the bride and groom want the reception. Is this an elegent sit down dinner or more of a party?

damn you people & good points. I'll be quiet until we get more specifics on the people & guests.

woops

I agree with the majority of people not going for the big beers for long. Consider the month you'll be serving the beer, too. If it's a warm spring or summer Saturday, you'll need something lower in alcohol or all of those dressed up guests are going to get the sweats.

I might just do an extremely fresh hopped pilsner or IPA. Being able to pull off a really good pilsner is a real art as there's no room for mistakes (no room to hide) with a pils. That, and they're usually low alcohol. The wit will have enough of that Belgian spice to comfort the guests looking for something with a different character. The fruit beer should appeal to those looking for something sweet.

+1 on having a beer that isn't so big. I love big beers, but you want everyone to get home safely at the end of the night too!

How about 1) Wit, 2) Kolsch or Alt, 3) APA/IPA

I agree with the pilsner also. More pilsner and less wit. If you can make that successfully. Hell ,you have a whole 21 months to get it right.

OP here. The beer menu is completely up to the bride and groom. I tried to sway them to a "regular" IPA but they are hop freaks and want a ~8.5% IIPA. The tripel won't top 8.5%. The wit and the 4th as-of-now-mystery beer will both be lower alcohol. Wit should be 4.5%.

American pale ale is too parallel with the IPA/IIPA for the bride and groom. What can I say, they're beer nerds!

As much as I appreciate the beer menu suggestions, the real question here is volumetric.

Demographics:

Figure a 50/50 men/women split.
(Not sure if it matters but) both families are hispanic and family makes up 50% of the guest list.
The bride and groom said around 100 people are beer drinkers, perhaps a third of those are craft beer drinkers.

I'm currently thinking 15 gallons IIPA, 15 gallons wit, 10 gallons tripel and 10 gallons unnamed fruit (?) beer. That's in the neighborhood of 5 beers per person. Is that way too many? I have lots of time to plan this thing (1.5 years) so plenty of time to work this out...

bigbeergeek said:

OP here. The beer menu is completely up to the bride and groom. I tried to sway them to a "regular" IPA but they are hop freaks and want a ~8.5% IIPA. The tripel won't top 8.5%. The wit and the 4th as-of-now-mystery beer will both be lower alcohol. Wit should be 4.5%.

American pale ale is too parallel with the IPA/IIPA for the bride and groom. What can I say, they're beer nerds!

As much as I appreciate the beer menu suggestions, the real question here is volumetric.

Demographics:

Figure a 50/50 men/women split.
(Not sure if it matters but) both families are hispanic and family makes up 50% of the guest list.
The bride and groom said around 100 people are beer drinkers, perhaps a third of those are craft beer drinkers.

I'm currently thinking 15 gallons IIPA, 15 gallons wit, 10 gallons tripel and 10 gallons unnamed fruit (?) beer. That's in the neighborhood of 5 beers per person. Is that way too many? I have lots of time to plan this thing (1.5 years) so plenty of time to work this out...

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I hate to say it but....going off demographics you better brew something close to Budweiser I hope they are really good friends and this is going to be their wedding present It ain't going to be cheap brewing 50 gallons of beer!

My wedding will be around the same time and I'm planning on 8 cornies for about 120 people. Probably about 1/4 of the guests like my beer, some don't drink, some will a little, but I figure most of our friends will drink a fair amount. We'll have wine too, but I'm not sure how much. And if I have left over beer, well darn...

Weather, demographic, even the setting have everything to do with it. I've got a few weddings under my belt and have learned to keep it simple, even for the beer geeks, unless you want to bring a bunch home.

We like to do a:
Stout
IPA
Honey wheat
Blonde

Every time we do different stuff we end up bringing home 75% of those. Even at the weddings of the beer heads. Most people, even at a beer drinkers weddings, are BMC drinkers.

I've learned to keep my recipes simple and easy drinking.

I will say I never mind bringing beer home though, gives me a nice supply for my personal taps for a while.

I would talk with the bride and groom about doing some solid base beers and maybe offering a "head table" selection bottled, or perhaps one or two "secret" kegs for those in the know. I've been in a few weddings like this and it's always fun when people are whispering and it gets out the there's a secret wine or beer available.

For a reference, the last wedding we did was December 15. Going of prior experience, and talking with the groom (huge beer head) we did:
5 gal Oatmeal Stout
10 gal very hoppy IPA
20 gal pale blonde
10 gal honey wheat
A case of gluten free
We brought home 3 gallons of the pale blonde.
There were 280 at this wedding and the wine was flowing well too. The first wedding I did there were 250 people and we did 60 gallons of big beers. We brought home 2/3 of what we took.

Just my thoughts.

So it sounds like you've got 33 people that will drink your beer.. Seems like you don't need to brew as much as you think, especially if there is beer and wine.

Are you supposed to brew for the non craft beer people as well?

Remember, you don't have to throw away the leftovers

Xpertskir said:

Are you supposed to brew for the non craft beer people as well?

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Yes. That's the main purpose of the wit.

Since I just realized you're from Visalia. If you need to borrow any kegs, need some help, or taste testing let me know.

If you feed the guests an average 6 beers at 8% ABV you are going to have a bunch of drunks on your hands- that's the equivalent of 12 Bud Lights. There are a few people who can handle that much, but not many. I don't want to sound like a downer, but looking at that list of beers, it is great for super beer geeks, but not what 90% of people would enjoy at a party. I would push heavily to lighten up the menu.

I'm brewing for my own wedding in May (starting about now), and initially I was MUCH more aggressive than I am being now. 5 BEERS! IIIPAs!!! BELGIAAANNNSS!!!

After doing the math on guests, wine, liquor, and time, I realized it's much, much more practical to do 3 (maybe 4) beers, and try to keep ALL of them under 6% ABV. Right now we're looking at an APA, Raspberry Wheat, and a Kolsch. I may also bring a case of American Stouts. After talking to a lot of people I realized there is a big difference between what I want (OAK AGED RUSSIAN IMPERIALLSSS!!!) and what a lot of people will drink a lot of. Have to think of the greater good, for both the guests and the, errr, classiness/sobriety of the event.

Another thing I forgot, I will also be serving a smattering of commercial crafts and, wait for it, BMCs. I want people to have a good time, I can lecture them about their poor beer choices when I get back from the honeymoon. :cross:

Cream ale or cream stout might give the non-enthusiasts something to relate to if everyone is having the good stuff. From what I've read they're the gateway brews to craft beer.

Always wanted to do something like this. I'd want to brew for my own wedding and write up a family brew recipe book. Gives me an excuse to scale up and get into kegging.

100 or so beer fans? 100 gallons of tripel, some porta potties (or field area near some woods) and lots of bacon wrapped appetizers and you've got yourself a party. Its september? Kind of chilly at night, but anyone who passes out can sleep outdoors with a sleeping bag. Problem solved.

For catering purposes it's normally safe to assume 2 drinks a person. That average is about right - some will have none, some will have 4 and a few will have 8.

I've brewed for parties - and yes, do some session beers. I normally do a 4-5% Cream, a 6% IPA, a 3.5% Scottish and a porter or Stout.

I think it also depends on how far people have to travel to get home after the reception. At my wedding we didn't go through as much beer or wine as anticipated. Our guests where close enough to home that they were not staying the night in the town of the venue, but far enough that they didn't feel like driving after have more than a few glasses.

What kind or fruit beer are you doing? May I suggest a kriek? I think they're pretty good and should satisfy the need for something a little different.

I second the notion of taking alcohol content into consideration.

The beer enthusiasts will probably (maybe) be able to identify the high alcohol content in the big brews, if not by taste, then at least by the name of the style. They'll be fine.

The non-beer-enthusiasts may be totally lost, especially when it comes to knowing how much alcohol they're consuming. If they usually drink a couple Miller High Lifes and feel fine, they could get clobbered by two IIPAs/tripels. You can't count on them automatically gravitating toward the wit, because 1) They may not know what a "witbier" is -- weird, exotic, gross ... 2) They may already know they don't like Blue Moon, so they go for one of the other options. Slam down a few of those, not knowing the ABV, and blammo, blotto.

TL;DR - label the beers with ABV or put a mild explanation on the high-ABV ones ("double the alcohol of regular beer")

Ah, more beer menu suggestions

I realize that designing the menu is the fun part, but it's taken care of friends. The bride and groom are beer enthusiasts and they know what they want -- IIPA, not regular IPA etc etc. As already stated the low alcohol/light beer will be a wit. Stronger and more flavorful beers will be available as well. The questions are: how many beers for 100 beer drinkers, and what ratio of brews?

Lineup:

Tripel
IIPA
Wit
Raspberry Brown (tentative)

The majority of the guests will be locals, I'm sure all guests will be lodging locally.

The suggestion of 2 beers per guest sounds light for confirmed beer drinkers. Assume all of those 100 guests will drink.

Thanks for all the replies so far! This is helpful stuff, guys and gals.

Proboscidea said:

TL;DR - label the beers with ABV or put a mild explanation on the high-ABV ones ("double the alcohol of regular beer")

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I read it

ABV will be posted alongside the cutsie beer names at the bar. All will be informed.

We did 3 beers per person at the last wedding and it was perfect. They also served wine and some light mixed drinks. I think 3-4 is perfect for beer heads.

snaps10 said:

We did 3 beers per person at the last wedding and it was perfect. They also served wine and some light mixed drinks. I think 3-4 is perfect for beer heads.

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Good stuff. I'm not sure what the rest of the alcohol situation will be like (wine, liquor). I think they came to me because they want to keep their alcohol costs down, so for now I'm assuming it will be a homebrew-only event.

:rockin:

I recall my wedding, when we were planning it we had to decide about the open bar... (before I started brewing) We were trying to figure the cost and the events manager girl at the club gave us the average and then the maximum she had ever seen on a per person basis. I told my wife and the girl that the number seemed very low based on my family.... but I got out voted.

We ended up past the maximum by almost 30%

So I guess this is a long way of saying you need to know your crowd and with 100 beer enthusiasts 3-4 each might be on the low side for them. And also I come from a long line of drinking problems.

What did your actual numbers work out to, out of curiosity?

I would do three beers each if other stuff is being served and four each if not.

The problem is that designing the beer menu is the most exciting part, the average amount consumed is the boring part. Figure 4 beers each and be prepared to have left overs, not a bad thing by any stretch.

My beer menu "would" be a good session beer like a Centennial Blonde or Cream Ale for the beer drinkers and possibly to convert some of the BMC crowd, a light fizzy BMC beer for the inhibited, and perhaps a tripple or an IIPA or a sour beer or something fancy and strongish for the enlightened.

My actual wedding had the usual beer you might expect at a wedding unfortunately, Stella and Heineken. We had also two wines and put out vodka, rum and jagermeister.... everythingwentbetterthanexpected.jpeg

Lushife said:

I would do three beers each if other stuff is being served and four each if not.

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I was thinking of doing more of the wit than (say) the IIPA since 2/3rds of the guests are BMC drinkers. I think your totals sound pretty good. 300-400 servings of brew... that's 6-8 kegs of homebrew! Mercy me...

Edit: Then again, it could be on the low side for the crowd. These folks like to dance and party late...

Just as a background I've served beer at about 100 weddings as a caterer. When it comes to serving beer there are a few questions I would want to know:

1) What is the duration of the reception?
2) What food is being served?
3) What other alcohol is being served?

If the duration of the reception is 4+ hours, the food is heavy with several courses, and no other alcohol was being served I think 4 beers per person would be more than sufficient. This is assuming that people will have to drive (even a short distance) and that the intent of the wedding isn't to get completely blitzed. Also, there is a tendancy to overestimate how much people will drink/eat. Remember some people will have 6 beers, some 2, etc.

I would recommend doing the split among your beers something like 10g Triple, 15g IIPA, 25g Wit, 20g rasp brown. This is the max I would consider and if any of the above factors (shorter reception, less food, other alcohol) come in to play I would reduce the beer served down to closer to the 2 servings that another caterer earlier recommended (this is more typical).

Although others have mentioned it, I will reiterate that the beer menu seems to be what the bride/groom/wedding party wants but not necessarily what their guests will want. What about the 50 people who aren't beer nerds? Will they want a BMC or at least a sessionable beer? If I were their caterer (or their friend) I would definitely attempt to persuade them to put something more sessionable in the mix. Even as a beer nerd myself, I wouldn't want to drink 5 Triples or IIPAs at a wedding and have to drive even 1 foot from the premises. And I dislike Wit beers and fruit beers so what I would likely do is drink 1 or 2 of the Triples or IIPAs and then stop drinking. If only there were a decent session beer!

Good luck and I hope you have fun brewing this.