Hosting my first tasting tomorow

Start with lite, crisp beers, move up to malt-forward. Then it depends on what you have. If you have hoppy, move slowly from the least hoppy to the most, then a water break between each one. Some people even do water (and a bite) between the hoppy's. Sours that aren't too strong work here too. Then work your way up to any tarts, or heavier Porters, Imp Stouts, or Barrel Aged Imp Stouts you have. This is really general but, basically start with subtle & work your way up to stronger. You'll get more specific input from other BA's here...I'm sure

 

Well, I haven't hosted one, but everyone will most likely want at least a sip of every beer there. So, I would probably start with an oz or two each (for the 12oz.), and not everyone will like each one, so you can save some back so the person or people that like one can have more of that one, while the others can have more of one that they like. The bombers you can increase a bit more, but still follow the same thing. Since you are supplying the beer and hosting, I would ask them to bring food unless you want to control that as well as in a pairing. It depends on what kind of food you want for the event and what you think they would bring. I got a two 5 beer samplers at DFH's brewpub and split it among about 3-4 people total (including me). We all had sips (less than an oz. probably), and then each kind of took their own or I dealt them to the people I knew had enjoyed it. I had orchestrated the entire trip to the brewery, brewpub and stay in OC, MD, with about six friends, but not all of them drink or like beer. Have fun with it.

 

Have fun brother. Tastings with friends are where it's at.

Common sense reigns. Less palate wrecking to more. Snacks and water in between. My protip: dill pickle or vinegar potato chips make heavy hoppy beers more palatable for newbies if they aren't used to real hoppy stuff.

 

I concur with 2beerdogs and insist on having water and time between sips. We would each have a sip and then say what we thought about that particular beer, then would move on to the next one as a group. However, you can split it up and let everyone gravitate to what they are interested in, but I like the organized book club method that I used. That way everyone is together on everything and someone doesn't miss out on one. I do know that there is always one or two beers that you really look forward to at something like this and I either taste those first or save them first last if I think I will like them.

 

Best etiquette is to have snacks in between. I suggest cheeses and crackers. If someone brings a dish, find a time to trot it out based on what you are serving. Counter intuitively, if they are not beer guys, you may want to give them a bigger pour - 3-4 oz. They wont know what they are doing and they will drink an ounce before you can even talk about it.

 

And above all. Don't follow the rules per se. Once you get started. Have fun with it. stealth and gillagoriila made some good points. But if you gots good homies, a good atmosphere, and of course some good beers (although maybe a bad 1 thrown into the mix makes for good conversation), you'll be stylin'!

Cheers

 

There are no rules. Whatever you are comfortable with and whatever your friends are comfortable with. I have put on dozens of beer tastings for organizations, clubs, beer and wine groups, charities and several at home. I go to lots of beer tastings - just be clear with your expectations.

1. If you don't have sufficient tasting glasses, tell your friends to bring a glass - this is not inappropriate;
2. If you don't want to or can't provide all the food (if there's even going to be food instead of just "beer snacks) tell your friends to "bring a dish" and make sure everyone brings something different. (OR, just have people bring snacks or you provide snacks.) OR, you can send out for food (pizza) or bring things in - burritos, chicken, whatever. There are no rules, just make expectations clear.
3. Make sure you have lots of water. This is what many people forget.
4. Don't be afraid to make it up as you go along - again, there are no rules.

Now, having said that, here's what I do for my personal tastings and somethoughts based on experience: (And, I'm having about a 20 person tasting this Sunday and will likely follow my own guidelines).

Beer - I generally do tastings from my cellar, mostly because I want to taste things I've just gotten fresh and before I think about "aging" or buying more bottles. So, I generally provide beer. This is not a general rule and most tastings in which I participate are really more "bottle shares." So, figure out how you're going to provide beer and stick them in the fridge/cooler in advance. (This was something I used to neglect since I like "cool to room temp" beer. However, I am in the minority and I now chill all bottles in advance of tastings.

Glasses - I purchased 100 tasting glasses at an outlet store once at a crazy deal. (Some break at every tasting or in the wash and I'm down to about 70). They are perfect for tastings since the general pour that "most" people take is about an ounce or two. Yes, people on this site want everyone to take 4 oz minimum for a "decent" taste. I think that's nonsense. I can taste and evaluate perfectly fine from a one ounce pour although unless there are a large number of people most pours are a bit more. I suspect at my tasting this Sunday most pours will be 1 to 1.5 ounces and everyone will be just delighted and more than happy. Of course, we generally open over 50 bottles so we must, necessarily, be conservative with pours. Obviously, bottle count enters into "the pours" and the quantity one drinks. If you don't have a lot of glasses, again, just tell people to bring their own. Some will bring one; some will bring two or three.

Snacks - potato chips, pretzels and the like are fine. Crackers, nuts and general "beer snacks" are always good and will always be eaten. Salty stuff goes over well.

You can end with above. However,. . . .

Food - I initially prepared lots of food for my large tastings; chicken, roast beef, leg of lamb, hell, once I even made a porcetta! Everyone really appreciates it and will generally eat! HOWEVER, without question, hands down the single biggest suggestion I can give you is just use sausages! I get a large selection of different sausages and/or hot dogs, the good kind, boil them up and generally serve them piled up on trays with a huge basket of sliced french bread or baguette with lots of different mustards. Charcuterie plates are great. People go throught pounds and pounds! It always get's eaten up - people will eat the sausages and charcuterie and cheese much more than more elegant food. I've now done it long enough and have sufficient empirical evidence where the conclusion, in my opinion, is valid. People use their fingers and do not like using forks, spoons, etc at a beer tasting. Oh, they might come in and make a plate of food if there's macaroni and cheese, or chili or BBQ etc. And, those are all good choices for a beer tasting. But, sausages/hot dog styles go over very well --- always! (We sometimes get fancy and grill, or make tacos etc. Again,. . .no rules.

If you're going to have vegetarians, make sure you have food for them. I've had fun in the past making nice food spreads and my friends have always appreciated it. (We even do breakfast/brunch tastings where I make eggs, french toast and the like before a tasting! It's all good). General conclusion: Make it easy on yourself. Whatever you serve or put out will likely be eaten and appreciated.

Water - lots! I put out cases of water for a group of 20. We will go through two cases, at least.

Dump buckets - always a good idea. People should be able to dump without criticism and/or judgment.

Napkins/towels - have available; they are always needed.

Biggest hint, let the tasting "run itself." It will take on a life of its own. I like to open bottles fast at my tastings. However, I go to tastings where the bottles are opened slower and in more relaxed fashion. Generally, the pacing develops on its own. (Or, you can set up a game plan!)

Random opening - I am a wine guy and we always take care about drinking wines that are old v. young and stronger v weaker in a certain order. I suppose some people do that with beer as well. Our group does not! We go all over the board opening saisons, wild ales, then stouts, then back to saisons, etc. etc. It works for us and generally keeps peoples interest and somehow actually keeps our palates "fresher." The water, of course, also really helps between bottles. I was very surprised at the random opening when I first started tasting with "our group." However, I've come to really like it and I truly believe it's "a best way" to taste. (Hell, more like going to a beer fest anyway!)

Paper/pens - sometimes I'll make a list of all the beers and people can take notes. This is real optional but everyone seems to appreciate it when I do it. I always leave lots of blanks so that we can add the large number of bottles that always seem to get added.

I'm sure there's lots more and perhaps people will fill in or disagree. However, the above are some of my "general rules and procedures" and experiences. Hope it helps.

 

Yeah...just like he said...no rules.

 

Be sure to clean the bathroom and scrub the toilet. Just sayin...

 

As mentioned above, there are no rules. My group follows no set pattern. So times its very laid back, other times its a total trainwreck. Both are a blast.

 

Lotta good stuff covered. Here is what we also do to make a better time.

Music- try and have music that everyone will like, or if that cannot happen, that goes well with drinking beer, and I know that is different for everyone. Music can really make a tasting at a residence. Have it set up so it doesn't need to be changed up at a time when everyone is too "happy" to do it.

Discuss the beer but don't turn it into Beergeek 101. It is important to really taste beer properly, but it is important to move away from that being the only topic of discussion. We had a tasting once that was fantastic beer in the most boring way.

Lotsa water. Set up gallons of it ahead of time for drinking and rinsing. Pour water for guests to drink so they get enough. Biggest mistake rookies make is not enough water drinking.

If you have singles only of some really exceptional 12 oz beers, such as Great or AFTW, and a large group coming, it is not bad ettiquette to take one or two of the rarest and pop them with folks who get there first. That way they will be enjoyed with a big enough pour. Folks always arrive late to these things, so just pop a couple for whomever isn't late. Generally speaking, one 12 oz. bottle of something is a bad idea for a large tasting, multiples and bombers is best.

 

I go to two different tastings per month... both of them are hosted at restaurants (with permission of the owners and we stay at an outside table near the back). We bring food, buy a few beers from the bar, and bring a bunch of food.

Now... the first tasting, we have a "professional pourer" who splits the given beer between all the glasses in front of him. Generally you get 1-4oz tastes based on the number of people and format of the bottle (you're getting filled to the brim if someone brings a Magnum), with a larger glassful for the person who brought the beer. Everyone brings their own glassware and you're laughed at if you bring anything larger than a 10oz glass (mini snifters are preferable). I use a 100ml (~3oz) Deschutes taster myself. Trust me, when you're drinking 25+ beers, you want a smaller glass. This tasting consists of out-of-state distro'ed beers and older vintages/limited releases.

The other tasting I go to is a goddamn free-for-all. Beers are coming from all directions... you take as big of a pour as you want when it's handed to you. It's more a party atmosphere and is less formal. People still bring food and share it, but tasting is complete anarchy. Anything can come out in this tasting from the rare to something that came out last week in the market. Bring any damn glass you want.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

If there is one thing I learned with the tastings I've hosted and been a part of is figure out if it is actually a tasting or if it is just a bottle share. For the longest time my group was doing bottle shares and calling them tastings.

If it is a tasting, less is more. Go from least flavorful/bold beer to most flavorful/bold beer. Everyone takes a small pour ~2-3oz and then you take your notes, talk about the beer etc. Try to drink a lot of water so that the alcohol has less of a chance of messing up your perception of subsequent beers. Also keep your snacks to the palate cleansing varieties, no bold cheeses or salty snacks IMO as you do not want you taste skewed by food.

If it is a bottle share, people getting together to drink good beer and shoot the shit, then just have fun with it and pop whatever the group is interested in.

 

Damn, I wanr GRG1313's address!!! Can I move in?

 

Ours are usually pretty organized for the first few beers...then the rules go out the window after that anyway...

Also, meats (charcuterie), cheeses, and crackers are always a hit and help people pace themselves

 

The only glassware you need to serve the beer out of are high quality strippers. Those make the tasting usually...


... I've never been to a tasting =(

 

Cheers to you providing the beer. Its much more fun sharing a beer with others! It won't hurt to ask friends to bring snacks although I myself never hosted a tasting.

 

I'll chime in, since my girlfriend and I have hosted a few tastings in the past. I'll second, third the notion that there aren't any rules, especially if hosting close friends/family. I few tips that I always use when hosting: make sure there are snacks/food and water for everyone to last the night but nothing too overpowering to kill the beers being tasted. The order of beers doesn't really matter to me but we usually do IPAs first and then the "rare" beers or beers everyone is looking forward to trying in the front to middle of the tasting, that way it prohibits everyone from getting too drunk to remember what they tasted like.

Either way, it's hard to go wrong with a gathering of good friends and great beer being served. Cheers!