Try a Beer Tasting

Last Saturday night we hosted a beer tasting.  We had five categories, each with five beers:

Belgian-Style: Duvel, Brooklyn #2, St. Bernardus Prior 8, Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and Boulevard's Sixth Glass

Ales: Santa Fe Pale Ale, New Belgium's Ranger IPA, Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde, Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale and Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Lagers: Full Sail Session, Sam Adams'  Double Bock, North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner, Harp and Ayinger Ur-Weisse

Porters & Stouts: Sierra Nevada Porter, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, Belhaven Scottish Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout and Avery's The Czar

Miscellaneous: Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Xingu Black Beer, Black Wattle Original Paulaner Oktoberfest-Marzen and Flying Dog Horn Dog (a Barley Wine) 

We tasted each set one by one and all drank the same beer at the same time, then discussed.  Because there were soooo many beers, we deviated from the standard three-ounce pour and opted for two ounces (or less)...just to help keep our wits about us.  Fail ;-)

We served a sampling of really good cheeses, some olive tapenade, sliced apples and plain almonds with the Belgian set.  Pizza (cheese, pepperoni and supreme choices) with the Ales and Lagers.  Cappuccinno cookies, chocolate-covered espresso beans and lots of different chocolates were the pairings for the porters and stouts.  And finally for the Misc. category, we set out big crunchy pretzels and a couple of styles of mustard.

I have to say that my favorite part, aside from the tasting and the actually party itself, was the decision-making process and the shopping.  I guess I love to shop, no matter what it's for.  And it can get expensive, depending on your beer selections.  But to ease the cost, you could ask that each guest either chip in OR bring a particular style of beer and be surprised at your final choices.

I'm a bit of a control freak, so, for me, it was nice to do the shopping myself.  Knowing what beers we were tasting, I was able to do up a "menu" and then pull information about each of the beers.  I think having this information for everyone helped them learn why they liked certain beers over others.

Finally, it's important that you have enough room to pull off something like this.  We planned for 14 people.  So 14 x 2 (ounces per pour) = 28 (minimum) ounces for any given beer.  We bought as many single beers as we could (it's nice that so many stores these days let you build your own six-pack).  For beers of 12oz or less, we bought three singles.  Or a full six-pack when we didn't have a choice.  Larger beers like the 22oz bombers, we had to buy two.  I know...math is hard, and I suck at it.  Anyway, be sure you have the room...either a bunch of coolers and plenty of ice or a nice beer fridge.  This is what our beer fridge looked like before the party.

Granted, we already HAD beer in the fridge...it's what's in the door and in the drawers (the Coors Light is NOT ours).  I love the way the top shelf is sagging...classic!

It's also a good idea to stock up on Chaser or Excedrin.  Trust me.  When I opened the fridge the next day:

I'm just sayin'.