Beer tasting parties to welcome in the new year

South African Brewery’s (Sab) South African World of Beer recently provided tips to create a fantastic beer tasting party in order to keep the holiday spirit alive as reality sets back in.
Denis da Silva, Sab trade brewer, believes that beer is more versatile than wine because, according to Da Silva, beer is food. Beer has many different characteristics thanks to its varied ingredients, with hundreds of malted barley varieties, yeast strains and hops.
“Beer is good, food is good, but nothing beats good food with good beer,” said Da Silva.
Follow these tips to host an enjoyable beer tasting party:

•  Confirm the number of guests attending for catering purposes. Provide a six pack of beer for a party of 20 people. This works out to be three servings per 340ml bottle of beer.
• Provide your guests with a variety of beer flavours and types including a crisp beer, a hop beer, a malt, a roast, a fruity and a flavoured beer.
• Make sure you serve chilled beers to optimise the tasting experience.
• In between beers, it is recommended to cleanse your palate with water.
• If you are only providing snacks then make sure you have an assortment of neutral foods that won’t compromise the palate. Unsalted pretzels or crackers and raw vegetables are suitable snack options.
• If you really want to wow your guests, host your beer tasting with a food pairing. Take your time serving each dish because beer and food pairing is best enjoyed slowly.
• As you want your guests to drink responsibly, ensure everyone has booked a driving service to transport them safely home.
• Encourage discussions among your guests so that they fun while learning about the tastes of beer.