Would love it if everyone who was coming was a craft beer drinker, but a lot of them think all beer tastes like St. Patrick's Day, so . . . They won't really have to. There will be a bunch of other "normal" beer and seltzers, and canned cocktails, etc. If they leave sober, it's gonna be their fault!
I’m going to buck the “it’s your bday, do what you want” theme a little. You’re throwing a party and I think part of that is making sure your guests enjoy themselves. To that end, having a wide selection of stuff that folks would enjoy would likely put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces (for example, not everyone’s into Belgians, so if you focused on those one day it might be a bummer for some). Just me $0.02.
That's a pretty big milestone. I'd probably bust out whatever you consider your "best" beers for it. Especially if any run the risk of aging out of being good. Now's the time. In terms of order and pacing, the only thing I'd avoid is starting with anything that'll wreck your palate. Don't wait to open the good stuff later - half the big birthday tastings I've been to devolve into people busting out the good stuff so late that it doesn't get truly appreciated. Go for the gusto right away as long as your faves aren't spiked with cinnamon or 1000 IBUs.
My thoughts, too. I'll definitely have other options, that's just gonna be the day that I open larger format stuff.
Plain bottle caps and a wing capper are fairly cheap from a homebrew supplier. Now that you don't see too many beers with the big Belgian caps or corked and caged bottles anymore, that should cover most beers opened. Also, look into the nitrogen and argon mix wine preservers to flush out the the empty space in the bottle.
I've found that seltzer is a great palate cleanser, helps with keeping hydrated, and still offers flavor. Only downside is that it's carbonated, so it's bloat on top of bloat. A couple of La Croix variety packs chilled isn't a bad idea though.
Fo realz! Tastings, bottle shares, and parties always end up with people opening great bottles of beer that don't get appreciated because everyone is drunk and palates are destroyed at the end.
How about a party theme of setting it up as a 50-tap pub to keep with the number of yesrs that you've stomped around on this planet? The 50 'taps' can be made up of beers, seltzers, wines, soft drinks, etc. The number of cans/bottles of each of the 50 beverages will be determined by the number of your guests. Your guests might have a lot of fun with the large number of choices, and you might create some new craft beer drinkers.
Thanks to all for the very helpful suggestions! Just starting to feel normal today after 3 solid days of going pretty hard over the holiday weekend. Pacing, lots of great cajun food, and naps were key.
Earlier this year (late Feb) I celebrated my 50th in Charleston with my wife. Got a Vrbo 2-3 blocks west of King Street. Weather was perfect, like 70-75 daily. We walked everywhere (wife mentioned we probably walked a half marathon daily). Did 3 walking tours (food, history, haunted)... went to a crocodile/alligator/evil reptile park about an hour north one day... and more on topic, hit up about 10-12 breweries. Glad I did it, checked a few C-town breweries.
In case any of you wondered, the beer-y highlights of the weekend were: A mini-keg of Delirium Tremens | Brouwerij Huyghe | BeerAdvocate Multiple vintages of: Where The Buffalo Roam | Cameron's Brewing Co. | BeerAdvocate Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 | Harviestoun Brewery | BeerAdvocate Dragon's Milk Double Barrel Triple Mash | New Holland Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate The Heavy Weight II: Iron City: Gift Shop - Pittsburgh Brewing Company Samichlaus Classic | Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg | BeerAdvocate Backwoods Bastard | Founders Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate Hennepin | Brewery Ommegang | BeerAdvocate Three Philosophers | Brewery Ommegang | BeerAdvocate Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel | Brouwerij De Halve Maan | BeerAdvocate Christmas Ale | Brouwerij Sint-Bernard (St. Bernardus) | BeerAdvocate Ghosts In The Forest | The Lost Abbey - The Tasting Room | BeerAdvocate Red Poppy Ale | The Lost Abbey - The Tasting Room | BeerAdvocate Bunch of Torpedo Extra from SN and Miller High Life in between, as well. Though I'm probably forgetting some, all in all it was a quality weekend. Even if I forgot a magnum of La Roja | Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales | BeerAdvocate
I thought so. Still brought A LOT of beer home including stuff from The Lost Abbey and Trappist Rochefort Most people just picked a day and were in and out, but we had two other couples that stayed the entire weekend and one of the guys is a big craft and Belgian beer drinker, so we had fun.
Think about your guests and a memory you have of them drinking a certain style of beer with or you know your guests like style x y or z and then open those styles. I think moments like that make a special occasion even better when you put thought into each selection
Open whatever you want for yourself, then maybe get a mixed variety of the usual suspects (Bud, Sierra Nevada, Modelo, etc)?
...a belated quinquagenary... ...personally, I'd open what I want for my special occasions (do it for yourself, share it with those who would also appreciate it, and still have other beverages for those not so inclined), yet you are doing well by offering so many other things to imbibers and non-imbibers...I'm sure if there were a BA Emily Post, that person would nod approvingly of your efforts...
