Traditional Wedding Beer

Zuljin · May 16, 2012

So my wife and I are getting married again in November. We're already planning on tying in some aspects of our first marriage ceremony to mark traditions for marriages down the road.

Being into brewing now, and what with the new marriage, we figure a wedding beer will be a nice new tradition. And this one really likes dark beer. We picked good.

Are there any brown ales, stouts or porters that are considered traditional for weddings? It seems like light colored beers would be more suited, I dunno, just for all the symbolism of light, sun, newness and all like that. No surprise some are of the opinion that mead is a traditional wedding beer. Well, fermented beverage, anyway. But she really likes darks and we want to make this something special for her.

The beer has to be ready in 4 months. 5 at the longest. Not enough time for mead.

Ideas? Not just good beers, but traditional beers. Wasatch and Squatters have some fitting offerings to clone maybe.

RCBIV · May 16, 2012

I'm not sure there is a traditional beer for a wedding. Like you said, the only fermented beverage that comes to mind is mead (with the whole thing going back to honey moons, honey is in mead, yadda yadda yadda).

But what don't you brew a dark beer together? Maybe the same day every year you brew the same recipe, or a tweak on the original recipe. It might have more meaning, in the long run, than brewing a beer that is wedding-ish. You created it together.

Awwwwww!

thatjonguy · May 16, 2012

I will have six Schlitz. No Schiltz? Whatever is free.

That is about how it goes, the traditional (at least in the US) seems to be some cheap macro beer-flavored water alcohol inclusive beverage.

I would not brew something that would get everyone absolutely smashed though.

Zuljin · May 16, 2012

I would not brew something that would get everyone absolutely smashed though.

I did that when my buddy got married to his second wife. When the game warden busts up the reception, you know it was good beer.

bwomp313 · May 17, 2012

sour cherry stout?

ntempleton · May 17, 2012

Zuljin said:
I did that when my buddy got married to his second wife. When the game warden busts up the reception, you know it was good beer.

FTW! I think the best part is that it was the game warden.

bcgpete · May 17, 2012

Do something you're both into. My wife and I both love kale, and we get some fantastic local honey around here, so we did an old ale with kale and honey (the old so it can age and be drank on our anniversary or some ****...). Also, she loves Presidente Brandy, so I soaked some oak chips in that and added it all to the brew.

Revvy · May 17, 2012

Well, the term Bridal supposedly DID come from the term "Bride Ale."

Interesting article here.

BFitch · May 17, 2012

seems like every wedding i go to, the traditional beer is miller lite

Proboscidea · May 17, 2012

Speaking of mead, and the amount of time it takes to make: how about a tradition where you assemble a batch of mead/wine around the time of your wedding this year (because you TOTALLY will not be swamped with other pre-wedding tasks). Age that sucker while you journey through your first year of marital bliss.

Then, on your first anniversary, proceed to drink the fond-memory-infused mead at your romantic dinner or whatever.

Also around that time, prepare a second batch of special marital-themed mead, which will be ready in time for your second anniversary celebrations. And so forth.

PhelanKA7 · May 17, 2012

Since you're getting married for a second time you should brew something using the parti-gyle method. The first runnings could be used to brew a barley wine to represent the fullness and complexity of the first half of your lives together and the second batch would represent the lightness of the remainder of your marriage.

GilaMinumBeer · May 17, 2012

Zuljin said:
So my wife and I are getting married again in November. We're already planning on tying in some aspects of our first marriage ceremony to mark traditions for marriages down the road.

Being into brewing now, and what with the new marriage, we figure a wedding beer will be a nice new tradition. And this one really likes dark beer. We picked good.

Are there any brown ales, stouts or porters that are considered traditional for weddings? It seems like light colored beers would be more suited, I dunno, just for all the symbolism of light, sun, newness and all like that. No surprise some are of the opinion that mead is a traditional wedding beer. Well, fermented beverage, anyway. But she really likes darks and we want to make this something special for her.

The beer has to be ready in 4 months. 5 at the longest. Not enough time for mead.

Ideas? Not just good beers, but traditional beers. Wasatch and Squatters have some fitting offerings to clone maybe.

You sly old dog! You are getting married again so she'll have sex with you a second time, aren't you?

acidrain23 · May 17, 2012

How about a Braggot? Combining the traditional-ness of mead but drinking like a beer... When I started brewing again, this was the first brew I made, and my first "beer".

Dark Belgian Braggot
For 5 gallons:

6 lbs amber DME
10 lbs raw honey
1 lb Dingemans Special B Malt (steeped)
.75 oz cascade hops (boil 30 min)
.75 oz cascade hops (boil 5 min)

Yeast: Wyeast 1762: Abbey Ale II Yeast

Granted, I really didn't know what I was doing at the time, but the end result was quite delicious. You could incorporate buckwheat honey, which has a more intense molassaes like character, add some more roasted malts, and if I did this again I would use hops with a spicy character like Styrian Goldings, or Saaz.

Zuljin · May 17, 2012

GilaMinumBeer said:
You sly old dog! You are getting married again so she'll have sex with you a second time, aren't you?

No. That's why we're taking on a second wife.

Maybe I was too subtle about that.

Lazarous · May 17, 2012

Lambic is a traditional beer for weddings, sounds like you don't have time for that though..

pjj2ba · May 18, 2012

Zuljin said:
No. That's why we're taking on a second wife.

Maybe I was too subtle about that.

I think maybe so. I was asking myself, "does he mean what I think he means?"

Now they could specialize - one for cooking and one for cleaning - As long as the code monkeys don't mind.

lou2row · May 18, 2012

twice the sex; 2 X 0 = 0

twice the bitching; 2 X a lot = gun barrel in my mouth

Yeah, good luck with that. Of course in your country, the rule of thumb may still exist.

GilaMinumBeer · May 18, 2012

Zuljin said:
No. That's why we're taking on a second wife.

Maybe I was too subtle about that.

Hmm. I missed that cue.

Mine says I can have a another wife as long as she's rich.

Gameface · May 18, 2012

I thought Oktoberfest/Marzen originated at a royal wedding party. It's a festival beer and should be great for a wedding.

Traditional Wedding Beer

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