So.. I am throwing a beer tasting party

[desiderata]

Hi,
I know this thread is a bit old, but I'm planning on a similar beer tasting party in a couple months. I read through the entire thread, and I was interested in how your party turned out.

Cheers,
Patrick

 

[IHateMayonnaise]

Hi,
I know this thread is a bit old, but I'm planning on a similar beer tasting party in a couple months. I read through the entire thread, and I was interested in how your party turned out.

Cheers,
Patrick

Hey Patrick.

I had the party two weeks ago, it was pretty awesome. It was very informal, as I said in the first post most of my friends are pretty beer ignorant. I also spent the last 6 months gathering together quite a collection; had about 45 different beers (not including duplicates).

I had no specific plans as to how it was going to go, in terms of breaks, etc. I started with the lightest beer and ended with the most intense (imperial stout). I provided crackers and mild cheese, as well as fruit. About halfway through we munched down, not much otherwise.

There were about 10 people there, and nobody got inebriated, which I wasn't expecting. We went through about 15 beers on the first night and then called the quits, and picked up the next night and went through the same. I still have about 15 beers left so I can do another night (and I plan on it), but the remainders will age very well so I am in no hurry.

I encouraged my friends to try to break down the beers they were trying in terms of the standard variables (mouthfeel, color, odor, aftertaste, etc) but in the end it usually came down to "oh man that's great" or "yucky."

Didn't really think that reply through too much, did I miss anything? Something you're planning on trying that I didn't (since I'll certainly be doing this again)?

Wes

 

[desiderata]

Thanks for the reply, Wes.

Yes, that's very helpful information. I plan on having about 10 guests as well, so it's good to know that 15 bottles is plenty. I think my group will be a good mix of micro-brew lovers and non. I don't anticipate any excessive drunkenness either...

My wife wants to include some fancy cheeses along with the beer, but maybe you're right to stick with mild cheeses and fruits as snacks.

I'm not planning on getting something representative of each style, but mainly, just stuff that looks interesting, with some variety. Here's what I have so far (in no particular order):

Delerium Nocturnum
La Fin Du Monde
Green Flash (Double) Stout
Rogue Mom Hefeweizen
Otter Creek Sphinx
Allagash Tripel Reserve
Harpoon Single Hop ESB
Dogfish Head Theobroma

And I like the recommendation to have a bottle or two of BMC for comparison purposes, so I plan on that as well.

I don't think I'm even going to bother with trying to record any observations. I'm sure the ones I like will stand out, and I'll remember them.

What did you use as drinking containers? I can't decide whether to use glass beer mugs and rinse in between styles, or get small disposable plastic cups. I suppose the snob in me says "no" to plastic, as that might affect the flavor of the beer?

I'm also thinking of getting a bucket/cooler full of ice in which to hold the bottles, rather than the fridge. It seems it would be a pain to be continually opening and closing the fridge all night. Besides, I'm pretty certain most of the nicer beers are better at temps slightly warmer than a typical fridge would keep them. Although, this is a more trivial matter, IMO.

I hope my guests like Tom Waits' music, 'cause that's what I plan on listening to during the party. :cross:

 

[IHateMayonnaise]

Wow sorry for the late reply.

I love really, really sharp cheddar, but a beer tasting party is no place for that. Yeah just stick to the milder stuff.

Your list doesn't have any IPAs! What's up with that??

I didn't write anything down, I remember stuff fairly well. Other people did, though and luckily I had a stickypad available.

I think sniffers are the best choice of glassware; I only had one small wine glass so I used that. I provided little clear plastic cups for the guests, which worked fairly well. You wanna be able to see the beer you're drinking obviously, and you don't want it at the bottom of a tall glass (ie don't use a pint glass).

I wouldn't throw the beer in a cooler full of ice; this is good for some budweiser on a hot day, but many of the beers you are serving should be served warmer than this. Otherwise the coldness will mask some of the complex overtones of the brew. The day before the party I lowered the temp of my fridge so it was about 55F, a good compromise I think.

I had Pink Floyd playing in the background.. hard to disagree with that