How to hold a beer tasting party?

While you have heard of pairing parties and wine tastings, what about those who like to drink artisan brews instead of fermented grapes? How about throwing them a beer tasting! With the international beer day just around the corner, make the most of it by inviting all the beer lovers you know to your humble aboard!

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How to prepare?

Just like when you host a cheese and wine party, you must make sure you are aware of the number of people coming so you have enough of drink and food to go around. To make sure you have an accurate count, you can send attractive beer-themed invitations at least three weeks before the party.

For a beer party, you do not need fancy plates or stemware. Most beer parties have crates of bottled beer and guests consume just by opening the bottles. However, if you wish to offer a classier vibe, stock up on glass or plastic beer steins and put them near the bottles.

Shopping list:

If you wish to host a decent beer party, make sure you keep the drinks and food as simple as you possibly can. There is no need for fancy roasts, cheeses, or desserts. Instead, offer more appetizers, munchies such as, nuts and chips, and, of course, a good beer selection. Even though you will need one kind of beer for every person, you want to make sure you have enough money so that people will not feel left out of tasting a specific kind.

If you are holding a party for twelve:

1. Keep a minimum of eight light beers
2. At least six amber ales
3. At least eight wheat beers
4. A minimum of six stout beers
5. A minimum of eight other kinds of craft local brews
6. At least four to six porters

Setting up

There is so much you can do when setting up your party. In case there is a bar inside your house, you can set it up easily! Place all the different types of beer inside buckets. Also, put a bowl around every bucket that your friends can put the beer caps in. Put a tasting pad next to every bucket so that your guests can scribble and rate which one they liked and which one they did not. Place the snacks in different places. In case you're planning on keeping wings or sliders, use a hot plate to ensure they remain warm. Apart from this, place several small plates and napkins in different tables so that guests don't have to hold the beer with untidy hands.

In case you don’t have a bar, just set up an area that can host the beer tasting. Set up a long table with the buckets of beer. Put snacks on smaller tables. In case you are hosting a party in your back yard, make sure to have a lot of ice ready so that the beers remain cold.

With just a little effort you can make your beer tasting party a hit! To add to it, you can even hand over a beer gift basket as a favor!