Summer Party Beer Suggestions

[Sayvillebrew]

Hey all - Every year my wife and I have our "End of Summer" party at the end of August. I have 2 corneys where, for the last 2 years, I have the taps flowing Its time to start planning...

Every year I think about different beers to serve and this year I thought I would reach out to the experts.....You!

I do 5 gallon, All Grain - batch sparge method.

Looking for suggestions (and recipes for 2 beers for our summer party!

Thanks in advance!

Mike

 

[TechyDork]

What have you served in the past and how were those beers received by your guests?

 

[BigMack]

Whenever I have time to plan for a big get together I always brew a Belgian Wit. Not my favorite style, but that seems to be a huge crowd pleaser. A nice APA seems to go over very well too.

 

[Whatsgoodmiley]

Ales: a kolsch style beer is light, crisp, and very refreshing and definitely belongs in a summer party. I'm actually brewing a SMASH for my wedding this August. It's a great way to showcase different individual ingredients and simplicity often goes a long way. I'm also introducing a porter (didn't realize the kit included coffee beans in the specialty grains... Not very summer); a normal malty, floral porter could go well with BBQ.

If you can lager, why not try producing a lighter-bodied, sessionable bock?

 

[Sayvillebrew]

Year 1 : IPA - Very will received (had only one keg)
Year 2 - 1) Flat Tire Clone - Good - not great 2) Hefeweizen - Home Run! 3) Blue Berry Hefe - In bottles - Home Run

I was thinking a West Coast PA and a Saison?

I also will have a Belgian Quad and a Wee Heavy in bottles for those would would like a nice sipper as the sun goes down =)

Thanks!

 

[bigdaddybrew]

This is my favorite summer beer...

Summer Citra Cerveza Version 2.0
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Nottingham, US-05
Any clean neutral yeast that tolerates a cool fermentation. Coopers is my favorite if you have to ferment at a warmer temp (>68F).
Yeast Starter: None, I even dry pitch (I know rehydrate yada yada.)
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 1.008
Brew House Efficiency: 70%
IBU: 24
Color: 3 SRM
Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 62f, then 7 days at 68f, then Cold crash 2 days at 40f.
Tasting Notes: Refreshing lawnmower beer with a citrus hoppy nose.

Ingredients:
5 lbs 2 Row
3 lbs Flaked Corn
8oz Carapils

Mash at 148f for 60 minutes

60 minute Boil
1oz Cascade pellets (5.5% alpha) 25 min of boil
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min of boil
1oz Centennial pellets (10% alpha) 5 min of boil
1oz of Citra pellets (12% alpha), chill wort to 170f then steep for 30 minutes

Carbonate to 2.5 volumes using your favorite calculator.

 

[TechyDork]

Whenever I have time to plan for a big get together I always brew a Belgian Wit. Not my favorite style, but that seems to be a huge crowd pleaser. A nice APA seems to go over very well too.

I agree. When brewing for a summer get together I tend to do a light wheat or a wit beer, a lightly hopped APA and then something for me. usually a big IPA or a more "creative" style of beer.

 

[wolves63]

I would suggest a saison, you don't have to worry about temperature control and they have a great flavor profile.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I always brew at least one keg of BierMuncher's Cream of Three Crops for summer parties. Its a great beer on its own and its easy for the BMC crowd, who aren't so into craft beer, to handle.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=66503

 

[LBussy]

Having a keg of Skeeter Pee available for turbo Shandys is always a crowd pleaser.

 

[Sailingeric]

I just tapped a SMASH lager. I did it with Pilsner malt and Mt Hood Hops. It is a little on the hoppy side (about 28 IBU) but very tasty. Might please both the BMC crowd and the hops heads.

 

[m00ps]

I was thinking a West Coast PA and a Saison?

I would suggest a saison, you don't have to worry about temperature control and they have a great flavor profile.

glad someone finally said it. Summer beer + wide appeal (wine drinkers too) = saison

 

[wolves63]

glad someone finally said it. Summer beer + wide appeal (wine drinkers too) = saison

One of my favorite beers for the summer. I actually just completed a saison and left it to open air ferment, kegging it tomorrow.

 

[mattdee1]

One thing that’s easy to overlook is, large crowds usually contain high numbers of non-adventurous beer drinkers; thus, the likelihood that they will enjoy a certain recipe is going to be inversely proportional to how excited you are about brewing it. Your “boring” is their “amazeballs”. That’s why I’d just do a 2-row smash and call it a day. Low cost, hard to screw up, and pretty much guaranteed to be devoured.

On the other tap, maybe do an APA or an IPA for the people who want to roam around the party and talk about how cool hops are.

Just yesterday I was marveling at how much emphasis I find myself placing on constantly having beer available that is palatable for the lowest-common-denominator masses (aka BMC swill drinkers). On the one hand, I feel like I should be a bit more selfish and just dig into my lengthy “to do list” of styles, but on the other, I know that if I don’t maintain a pipeline of light-tasting, light-colored beer, then as soon as I run out, I’ll be the only guy drinking homebrew at my house, plain and simple. I guess the fact that I let this dominate so much of my limited brewing time is just a testament to how big of a factor sharing is to enjoyment of the hobby.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Ed Worts Haus pale ale

 

[Toga]

I would suggest biermunchers centennial blonde. One of the best crowd pleasing homebrew recipes of all time. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42841

I would also recommend an easy drinking brown ale. Browns are always well received.

 

[radwizard]

IPL with Citra and a light Saison with a Nelson Dry-Hop. That's a summer party right there.