Being an event host is definitely a stressful job, but things become much easier when you love what you serve. If you’re a big beer enthusiast, you’re probably so anxious to have guests over for your first beer tasting at home. Can you drink every beer in a classic beer mug, or do you have to add different kinds of glasses to the table? How many types of beers to serve, and should you have a theme? Get all the essential information you need to become the ideal host in the blog post below.
How to Host Small Craft Beer Tasting at Home?
Crafting a successful beer tasting party at home isn’t as simple as it sounds. Beer enthusiasts know that there are so many details to think of and so many different types of beer to try. If you have the honor of hosting one of these events, you have to prepare every single detail, including a guest list, beer list, snacks, theme, music, etc.
Start by creating the best list of attendees, people you know genuinely enjoy tasting beer. Then, use innovative invitations to elevate things to a whole new level. Next, start searching for the best party games, foods, and party favors, theme, and decide what kind of beer you’ll be tasting.
Before you grab your beer mug, let’s go over some valuable tips to help you host the best beer-tasting party.
Tips on How to Host a Beer Tasting at Your Place
Pick a Theme
Why host a boring beer tasting when you can pick a unique theme and let everyone know that this won’t be an ordinary party? Any party is much better when it’s on-theme, and there are so many different ones to try when it comes to beer.
One of our favorite ideas is doing Irish beer tasting with some of their most unique brands. Starting with the iconic Guinness to Magners and O’Hara’s, you can find so many excellent ales, lagers, and ciders to join your event. Add a Celtic shamrock and a Celtic knot here and there for decoration, and you’re ready to go!
Another innovative theme is a medieval beer tasting session. It will pair perfectly with the Medieval Wooden Beer Mugs and a short course explaining how people made beer back in medieval times.
Prepare Your Beers
You can’t host a party with only two or three different beers. Ensure that there’s a variety of beers, and add at least five types. Some hosts love mixing types in terms of ale, lagers, ciders, and stouts. Others will find beers with unique ingredients and introduce them to their guests. All the beer should be cold during the tasting.
Choose the Right Beer Glass
You can’t fool craft beer lovers with just any beer glass. Instead, you have to offer a variety, depending on the beer they’ll be tasting. For example, tulip-shaped glasses are the ideal choice for a hoppy beer. On the other hand, pints are much more suitable for beers with a low alcohol percentage.
Beer mugs are an authentic addition to the glass table and can be one of the most eye-catching details at your party. For example, the 20 oz Retro Oak Wooden Beer Mug is handcrafted using stainless steel and natural oak wood to keep everyone’s drinks cold. The Classic Beer Mug Set is a great way to save if you want to get more than one mug. If you prefer to stick to your theme, start searching for the best design. For example, suppose you’re getting ready to throw an Irish tasting event. In that case, look for a Celtic beer mug to complement the rest of the story.
Create the Proper Atmosphere
Rank up the music, and get the party started! After setting up the glasses, you should also add a few other drink types, such as juice, soda and water. The goal is to create a welcoming atmosphere that will educate the guests and make them want to come back. You can also print fun beer facts and leave them at the entrance for the attendees to read. Finally, when the guests arrive, tell them all about the setting, get them familiar with the rules, the right glasses, and the proper tasting technique.
The Actual Tasting
Beer tasting isn’t as simple as it sounds, so you and your guests should follow an order. This is how you’ll know that you’re enjoying each beer type to the fullest. Start with the lightest beer, then go for the dark ones. Sweet flavors should be first, followed by sour beers.
The average tasting time per beer is usually around 15 minutes. Sometimes people love talking about a specific beer, don’t interrupt the discussion, instead join them and ask for everyone’s opinion on the topic. Ask your guests to write down their impressions and fill out forms if there are any.
Plan for Snacks
You don’t want to get the attendees drunk and hungry, so snacks should be a priority during your party planning process. Thankfully, beer is such a versatile drink that pairs well with many food types. When thinking about snacks, you should consider the theme and your budget. However, you can never go wrong with a mixed charcuterie board!
Cleanse the Palate
Tasting too many different beers in a row can be quite confusing for your taste buds. Therefore, adding a palate cleanser to the table is a must! The best cleanser, without a doubt, is water. Ensure that you have both still and sparkling water for the guests so that they can sip on it right before tasting a new beer. You can also add crackers to your snacks because they’re an excellent way for people to cleanse their palate.
Other Things to Think About
Ask Guests to Bring Their Favorite Beers to the Event
Every event that you plan can be even more successful if you let the guests participate. You can tell them the theme beforehand so that everyone can bring their favorite beer.
Organize Your Beers From Light to Dark
As we mentioned above, you should organize all the beer types you have, from light to dark. It will help the beer enthusiasts present at your event fully taste each one without overwhelming their taste buds.
Send Everyone Home With a Party Favor
A personalized gift will make everyone’s experience even better. So if you’re looking to become the best host ever, you can gift your guests with a unique, unexpected party favor.
For example, if you went with a German-themed party, you can get a beer stein for each guest. Start the party by giving everyone their fabulous black and white beer mug that pictures a region of the country that you’ll be honoring. Another excellent idea is a wooden beer tap handle that will have all the attendees swooning over it.
Give Everyone a Pen and Paper to Take Notes About Each Beer
Taking notes is one of the best ways to remember an event. Also, comparing and discussing their thoughts will help your guests bond and make your beer tasting party even more successful. Print paper sheets with areas that the guests will need to fill out or rate. There can be various beer characteristics such as color, taste, aroma, etc.
Conclusion
The secret of a successful at-home beer tasting is a lot of planning. After carefully crafting the list of attendees, you have to set a theme, send invitations, get the beer, decorations, the right glasses, and innovative party favors. Now that you know all these hosting tricks, we’re pretty sure you’ll throw an epic party everyone will remember.
