Recently met some new families through my son. We are having a bbq at their house this weekend at 12pm. There are two dads there. I have only recently met each one. The only beer info I have is 1 dad we went to lunch after a surf and he ordered a blonde ale. The other dad has said he likes Belgian beers. This same dad we hung out one evening and learned he enjoys bourbon. He had some really nice bourbons he shared with me at his home. He has also said he likes 805. It’s supposed to be like 100 degrees this weekend and we are hanging out @12pm. any suggestions on either one good bottle or something like duvel that I can get in a 4 ok? the host is proving all the food so I would like to bring something good.
In these situations, I always grab a variety of things. Grab a couple each of several styles across the spectrum. Maybe a couple large format bottles of like La Fin du Monde too.
I would bring A Belgian for the 1 Dad A local blonde ale for the other Dad A local yellow lager for the heat
Bring hella 805s A bomber of la fun du monde or 4 of duvel A a 5th of evan williams or wild turkey 101 ftw
Other Belgian blonde options would be: Witbier Saison Maybe a 'variety pack' which includes Duvel, a witbier (e.g., Hoegarden) and a Saison? A nice Pilsner which is not too hoppy as well? Cheers!
I always had great luck with Tripel Karmeleit and La Chouffe. People that didn't usually drink beer very often loved them. Beer lovers will love them if they haven't tried them before.
I like the idea of a few different bottles. the host has already said he’ll have cocktails/margaritas. Knowing I am a beer guy he said if I could bring something good that would be nice. So I was thinking nothing too over the top knowing it’s mid day and most likely we’ll have some cocktails. I was leaning towards one big bottle of something but maybe a few small bottles of local pilsners and mid range Belgians would good.
If you can get it there, pick up a bottle of Cedar Ridge's Slipknot No.9 for the whiskey drinker(s). It's a blend of bourbon and rye, produced in collaboration with Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan. Drinks well above its $40 price point, IMHO.
Don’t get the normal Duvel. In that heat it’ll be too dangerous. At first I was thinking that a four pack of Duvel Single cans would be a better choice because of the lower ABV, but then I realized that Duvel 666 might be a great choice. It has an even lower ABV than Duvel Single and it’s a newish release in the US. Avoid it if you think someone will be offended by the name though.
we shared a bottle of Bourye from high west, which is a blend of bourbon and rye. I thought it was tasty. I’ll have to look for that one. Some quick internet search No 9 isn’t available near me.
Do you get Allagash there? Could go for a mashup and bring their barrel aged golden ale Curieux to share and some 805s. Figure the 805s would be close enough to a blonde ale for the first guy
Duvel single immediately came to mind. I love that beer for so many reasons. I like @JackHorzempa recommendation of saison. Grab a 4x of Sofie if you can find it near you. The Brett kills my allergies, but that beer is so damned good.
Sadly, Allagash narrowed their distribution well over a decade ago. I hate that we can't get them out here anymore.