Tasting Tips

Too many people on your holiday shopping list?  Sick of the same old Christmas party with pie & ironically tacky sweaters?  Why not throw a beer tasting for your nearest & dearest?  It’s a great way to show your friends & family a good time during the winter season, & can be one big gift for a bunch of buddies at once.  And with beer as the centerpiece, you can share the wealth with some alehead veterans while introducing some others to the joys of good brew.

A few tips & ideas:

Pick a theme.  A common thread through the menu can bring some focus & help compare & contrast.  You can do by style (stouts, IPAs, barleywines, winter ales, et al.); highlight a brewery or “line” (Dogfish Head’s experimental beers, or Great Divide’s Yeti variations);  a region (local, California, or Belgium, for instance); pairings with food (cheese goes wonderfully with beer, or organize a full dinner menu with a pairing for each course).  Or maybe your theme is just ‘Awesome Beers’!

Serve munchies.  Having some food on hand helps line the stomach & keeps folks from getting too tipsy, plus it’s great for some impromptu pairing.  To keep the party price tag from getting too steep, you can suggest that each guest provide some sort of food.  Some edibles to have on hand are bread, cheeses, dried fruits, chocolate, cured meats, chutney, nuts, dips, olives – these all make for great pairings too, & you can get as creative or simple as you want.  Also, make sure to provide plenty of water.

Consider portions.  2 to 4 oz. pours are plenty for giving people a good taste of each beer, with a good flight anywhere from 5 to 12 beers.  Our palates get fatigued after a while, & it would be nice for everyone to be able to taste the first & last beer.

Sequence.  In preparing a flight list, a rule of thumb is to go from least to most intense.  A lot of times this correlates with ABV, but not necessarily – a smoky rauchbier or sour lambic can be low alcohol but still pack intense flavor, so take the overall impact on the palate into account. 

Educate (in moderation).  A few factoids about style characteristics, process, history, or other background can be fun, give context, & spur some discussion, but remember that your guests came to eat, drink, & be merry, not listen to you geek out. 

Make it interactive.  Have guests give scores or vote on a favorite.  Not everyone will agree on which is “best”, & individual tastes make the world go ‘round.  Maybe even do a blind tasting & have folks guess what they’re drinking.  Get creative!

Enjoy!  That’s the point, right?  Don’t stress too much, & make sure you get to have fun, too.  And remember that there are some who just don’t like beer – most of those people know who they are ahead of time, so if you have some non-beer-drinkers coming, offer an alternative like wine or craft soda.  Guests’ enjoyment is the bottom line, & when they (& you) are loosened up by some delicious, adventurous brews, what better way to brighten the darkest days of the year?