Beer Tasting Party Anyone? Here is How to Throw One

Everyone has heard about wine tasting parties. How about a nice change of pace? Throw a beer tasting party! There are a huge variety of microbrews available nowadays. There also are a wide variety of imported beers and ales of all tastes and brews. Having some friends over to taste what's available would be remembered a long time.

Pick a theme for your party.
Seeing that fall harvest season is upon us, let's choose one that represents the changing of seasons. This can be done by:
Orange tablecloths
Centerpieces are yellow, red, and rust colored.
Spattering of colored leaves on table and counter tops.
Come up with other ways to emphasize the natural beauty of this season.

Beer selection
Have the beer bottles displayed with labels facing guests.
Do a little research into the beers so you can provide your guests with background information. That is both fun and interesting. Let them know about the beer (where it is from, the method of brewing, what it is popular for, etc.)
Let them know where you bought it. If they like it, they will know where to turn.

* Have a variety of imported beers available in both light and dark varieties.
* Have a variety of locally brewed microbrews and ales available.
* Pumpkin ale is popular now, have some available for your guests to enjoy and experience
* Blackberry hard cider is popular now, have some of this available
* Have information about the locally brewed beers and the owners. Many people like to know the origin of the beer so they can purchase more. Plus, many people love being able to help out locally owned businesses. They spend their dollars accordingly.

Glass selection
* Have juice glasses available.
* Sample sizes should be about three ounces of beer.
* If juice glasses are not available, use cocktail glasses.

Sampling Food & Beverage - (aka Sampling Food)
While your guests enjoy sampling the variety of beers and ales, have some snack items available for them. These will clear their palates and taste buds for the next sampling. You don't want your guests to begin having all the beers and ales tasting the same.

Some great food and beverage items for this are:
* Plain water - have a pitcher available along with small glasses
* Saltless water crackers - they can be purchased in any grocery store
* Saltless saltines
* Crackers - salt free Triscuits are great with beer. Come up with other varieties.
* Put the crackers onto a large serving platter for ease and convenience. A container of cream cheese dip would be an extra taste treat!

Post and Interim Sampling Food (aka Party Food!)
Have a variety of food available for eating after one enjoys their beer sampling. Or, have it available for when they want to take a break from beer sampling. Here are some popular suggestions:

Bratwurst - everyone knows that this goes great with beer. Have some cooking up on your stove or grill.
To go along with the bratwurst, have a bowl of sauerkraut available.
Have some mustard available.

Fresh Fruit - have a bowl of fresh fruit available for guests. Some may love to munch on apples or pears in between beer sampling. Some fruits heighten the sweeter beers, anyways.

Bread tray - have a variety of breads available for your guests to enjoy. Have bratwurst buns available.
Plus, cut a variety of breads into triangles or two-inch squares.
Place bread portions onto a serving platter surrounded by a container of hummus.

After all the sampling is done and your beer tasting party is winding down, you may want to have a pot of coffee brewing.

There you have it! See how easy it is to throw a beer tasting party? Good luck and Enjoy!