There’s no better way for a loving couple to share their joy of beer than by incorporating a craft beer tasting into their wedding reception. Order small, commemorative goblets printed with a unique message from the bride and groom, and put together a descriptive menu of favorite brews grouped in creative themes. Just for fun, organize the beer menu into interesting categories such as “warming,” “pensive,” “invigorating,” “playful” or simply “the bride’s favorite ales.” Add an extra sparkle of interest with a bite of cheese paired with each craft beer. Online sources offer a tremendous range of beer and cheese pairing recommendations; provided with good suggestions of beers and cheeses, most caterers comply happily with special niche requests such as this.
In Northern California, Lagunitas hosts a mobile beer fest on the historic Skunk Train.
Remember to include craft beer in holiday outings, cookouts, camping trips, bike rides and hikes. The promise of a unique beer tasting at the end of the day makes for effective motivation to walk that last mile or bike over one more hill. Bring bottle openers and clear plastic cups (it’s a travesty to drink aromatic craft beers straight from the bottle). Plan for a way to transport the brews without breakage or excess weight in anyone’s backpack. Be responsible as well―pack in the beer and pack out the empties. Many craft beers now packaged in plastic-lined cans make for highly convenient additions to river rafting trips and pool parties.
Pub Pastimes
With a focus on craft beer styles, it’s possible to add an interesting flare to local pub visits with friends and tasting groups. Call the pub ahead of time to check on interesting beers on draft, choose six to eight, then click on the Beer Judge Certification Program’s website at bjcp.org to cut, paste and print style guidelines that match the beers. When your group arrives at the pub, give the bartender your “secret” list of draft beers to pour in order in 15-minute intervals or so. Split the pints into plastic taster cups for your group, provide sets of style guidelines, and have everyone discuss the nuances of each mystery beer and try to guess the style. The person getting the top score in this version of “beer bingo” maybe wins a plate of wings or a free beer from the group.
A similar idea would be to designate one person as note-taker, and have the group discuss observations of each beer, based on aroma, appearance and flavor. Run through three to four different brews and post the comments on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Better yet, have a tech-savvy member of the bunch start up a website to include photos and notes from each tasting. For the sake of saving trees and easy reference, the BJCP world beer style guidelines are now available as a super-cool mobile phone app.
Bracket championships don’t just work for basketball―try a few rounds with beer. When visiting a pub with an expansive selection, choose a broad style of beer such as “stout.” Divide a group of 10 friends into five teams of two and assign a different pair of stouts from the pub’s menu to each team. Each team tastes and evaluates their two stouts for appealing characteristics and outstanding craftsmanship (perhaps using BJCP style guidelines) and picks one to move on to the next round and go head-to-head with the winning stout from another team. Teams can be shuffled around and combined as the brackets progress―until all 10 friends are tasting and evaluating the final two beers. Pubs might even be persuaded to place a note or award next to the winning brew on the beer menu or chalkboard.
Excellent article. Beer dinners have quickly become one of my favorite events. I really like the idea of doing tapas and small bites with beer pairings.