Beer Tasting Gathering Advice Sought

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No, the level of detail did.

 

Chiming in again. Coincidentally, I just did my own solo stout tasting today (which included a couple of the beers you are planning on using). I did mine blind. I didn't notice if you plan on doing it blind or not. It's more work blind, and maybe your friends will find it to be a fussy approach... but the rewards are much higher.

16+ beers is really a lot. At a certain point everything will just get too muddy for everyone. If you lower the number of different beers, then you can increase the size of the pours. This is a good approach because both changes will mean that people will get a better sense of each beer.

You can judge a beer with 1oz, but you can get a better judgement of it with 20. Naturally, you're looking for that sweet spot. I know I'm in the minority on the size question. In my tasting today, I probably had around 8 ounces of each. If I ranked the beers after just a few ounces instead, I would have ranked them differently.

Having said all that, it's important to just have fun.

 

Ok, 16 beers at 4 oz each is too much if it's high alcohol beers. Make sure you have a DD lined up if your going to have that much.

 

My intuitive reaction is holy shit that is a lot of high ABV beer, and somebody did the math to confirm that up thread a bit. With a mixed crowd, some will know that and some will have no clue of the cumulative effect. Understood that you are not looking for nuances and detail, but eventually you will just be wasting some pretty high end beers because at least some of the tasters will be, well, at least slightly wasted besides the palate fatigue.

Get some more food on the menu, lock up the car keys, cut down the pour. It sounds like, in a "tournament" format, you want to capture the first reaction to find a "winner" based on the initial liking, and a four ounce serving is sufficient. And I guess it isn't clear (to me anyway) whether everyone will be having all 16. YMMV, but 16 relative heavyweights at 8 ounces per serving is a lot in my mind.

 

Not trying to be a jerk but if I go over to drink beer and watch a football game, sampling 16 different beers might be kind of a distraction from the game, or vice versa. Might want to tone it down a bit. You can still have a dozen different beers to try, but take it easy on your guests and don't make them adhere to a schedule.

 

This just seems like work. Not only for you, in keeping the choices straight, but for your friends, who may not be as excited to be so focused on so many beers: let alone a comparison of two every half hour.
I would like to attend this drink fest, though.

I like the choices. I like the idea. I like beer. However, as has been said here, be prepared to change and just feel the room. Timed tastings are tedious and can drain the fun.
Set out the beer choices and glassware, food, and be ready to relax the rules.

Have fun and let us know what you learned.

 

I would have a good time participating in something that clearly had this much thought put into it, but it also feels like you are making it more complicated than it needs to be. An occupational hazzard? Drinking is involved.

You'll probably hate the idea, but consider splitting up the 16 beers into two different days/gatherings. Maybe that isn't possible, but 8 beers are a good number. Let everyone try all 8 beers over the day. Any lessons learned in the first tasting can be applied to the second day.

If you stick with 16 in one day, I'll take back what I said about 8oz pours. Since people are only getting two beers at a time and since beers will move on to later rounds, I think 4oz makes more sense even though it's not ideal.

 

Also might not be a bad idea to have a really basic beer, like a craft lager, if people get palate fatigue or just want to chill out and watch the game.

For snacks, a cheese plate and crackers or bread are good simple things that pair well with beer tasting. Anything spicy can blast your palate.

 

This is what i was just thinking. Save the hardcore tasting for a day when that is all you are doing OR change the selection to favor a more relaxed time. Like instead how about a tasting/pairing with party foods and lighter beer. Plus some of those deserve your full attention and again need to be split up with lighter beer in between.

 

This sounds way too planned, particularly with non-craft-drinkers in attendance. Are they all aboard with your plan? Even if they are, all planning is out the door when folks have the equivalent of three 12oz 4.2 ABV beers in them. Lightweights will drop out at that point, and the heavyweights will guzzle everything in sight.

Have you written the test plan yet, and have you held a TRR (Test Readiness Review) with the stakeholders?

 

Wow, sounds too structured to be a good time imho...

If I were you, I would go buy a dozen beer flight paddles with 5oz pub glasses from www.webstaurantstore.com. Have a case or 2 of a go to beer that every one can enjoy and serve a flight at half time...

 

Nice necromancy, dude!

 

It is close to Halloween.