Ideas for a 4th of July sampling party

[BlackE1]

I decided to have my first home brew sampling party. For those of you that have don't this how did it go over and how did to present the different beers.

I have about 8 different styles in bottles right now. So obviously for everyone to be able to try them with out passing out i will need to serve it in small quantities. This brings up a few question.
Do i pour the whole bottle into a big glass to get off the yeast, then separate in to the tasting glasses?
Should i bring out all styles at once or have similar styles together?
How large should a sample be so that one could gather the full characters of the brew?

any and all ideas are welcome.

 

[SavageSteve]

Never hosted a tasting, but I've been to one.

IMO, I think you should decant the entire bottle into a big glass, then serve from there. I think 2 oz. is a good volume to serve-- that's what I got at the tasting I attended. But then, of course, there were 2 oz. samples and "2 oz." samples

I would say bring out similar styles at the same time-- I think it will help people be able to appreciate the differences and nuances this way. I also think you should go light to dark, malty to hoppy.

-Steve

 

[beerjunky828]

yeah if you're going for sampling and presentation of your beer then you do not want the guest getting drunk and not being able to taste and critique your beer.. However I could say that if they are drunk then they will want more and it might be flattering. I would think that 2 to 4 oz samplings would be good. I would start with low alcohol and more pale beers first than heavy high grav brews.

 

[beerjunky828]

Never hosted a tasting, but I've been to one.

IMO, I think you should decant the entire bottle into a big glass, then serve from there. I think 2 oz. is a good volume to serve-- that's what I got at the tasting I attended. But then, of course, there were 2 oz. samples and "2 oz." samples

I would say bring out similar styles at the same time-- I think it will help people be able to appreciate the differences and nuances this way. I also think you should go light to dark, malty to hoppy.

-Steve

+5 on the similar styles. To be able to decipher the ingredients and compare and contrast is how you really learn what the hell is going on in your mouth when drinking a good brew. I have learned that doing taste comparisons with similar styles greatly enhances the ability to really pinpoint how the beer tastes. Hell it helps you understand how the beer is suppose to taste.

 

[BlackE1]

Thanks for all the great responses. Now i just need to find suitable glasses...