How to host a beer-tasting party

Summer is the perfect time for a beer-tasting party, and Anton Erasmus, SAB Trade Brewer, has put together the ultimate ‘how-to guide’. The guide offers you the best way to enjoy your party by pairing great food and even better beer.

Erasmus believes that “beer is a tad more versatile than wine, simply because beer is great especially on those hot summer days. Nothing refreshing like a chilled brew.”

In addition, Erasmus has noticed an increasing trend towards no- and low-alcohol beers, which allows consumers to have a safer consumption experience by practising ‘pacing’ by combining the consumption of alcohol beers with alcohol-free beers as a means of moderation. These beers can also be incorporated into the beer-tasting party.

Let’s get started:

1. Confirm the number of guests

When hosting a party, you need to establish how many people you are catering for, and in this case, how many beers you need to purchase (and food to pair with it).

Erasmus recommends a six-pack of each beer for a party of 20 people. This works out to three servings per a 340ml bottle of beer.

2. The beer

It is always nice to provide guests with more than one flavour of beer. Erasmus suggests the following beers:

• Crisp: All round lightness, less body with a sharp crispness and gentle lingering bitterness, such as Castle LITE or a Corona Extra.
• Hop: Hop bitterness like a Hansa Pilsner with its unique Saaz hop or the Jacob’s Pale Ale from Newlands Spring Brewing Company with earthy and peppery notes.
• Malt: Clean, somewhat dry, somewhat bitter, never sweet lager like Castle Lager or some roasted, caramel, toffee notes from Jacobs Pale Ale.
• Roast: Rich and smooth with roasted full mouthfeel, like Castle Milk Stout or some chocolate and cocoa notes from Chocolate Stout.
• Fruity: Low bitterness with a distinctive fruity aroma and taste, like The Newlands Spring Co – Passionate Blond with its distinctive passion fruit aroma or Hoegaarden with its orange peel and coriander aroma.
• Flavoured: There is a variety to select from – the Flying Fish range of low bitterness fruit-flavoured beers (orange, lemon and apple). Budweiser is also an option with its honey aroma and traces of citrus fruits.
• Low or no alcohol: Responsible consumption is important, so why not include these trendy beers. Examples of alcohol-free beers include Castle Free and Becks Blue.

3. Serve chilled 

Beers are best served chilled to optimise the tasting experience. Rather keep them in the fridge or on ice until they are served, says Erasmus.

4. Water 

To cleanse your palate between beers, drink water.

5. Glassware 

The best part of a beer tasting is that you are not limited to serving your beers in standard beer glassware. You can have fun and mix things up with a variety of glassware styles per beer style such as standard/classic, snifter/goblet, tulip, flute, pilsner/weizen or stange.

“Glasses with a wide bowl and narrow mouth ‘trap’ the beer’s aromas in the glass, making for a better tasting experience. If you do not have a vast selection of glassware, you can even use wine glasses. Also, make sure all glasses are clean with no soapy residues as this will kill your beer foam,” said Erasmus.

For beer tastings, it is best to use smaller glassware as you will only be pouring the beer into a third of the glass. Remember it is a taster only.

6. Snacks

As for snacks, make sure you have an assortment of low flavoured foods so that you don’t compromise your palate.

“Snacks such as unsalted pretzels or crackers and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery sticks should do the trick,” said Erasmus.

7. Plated courses

If you really want to wow your guests, host your beer tasting with a food pairing. Don’t rush serving each dish because a beer and food pairing is best enjoyed leisurely.

8. Decor

Depending on your style or resources, you can always make printed beer notes, describing the beers that will be served; their aroma and tastes.

9. Blind taster

If you are into entertaining your guests, you could build a blind tasting into the evening’s proceedings. Erasmus said: “Away from eyeshot, pour a beer of your choice into [a] jug and then serve to guests with the notion they need to guess what beer it is. You can even have a prize for the correct guess – a six-pack of their favourite beer or dinner on you.”

10. Designated drivers 

You want everyone to enjoy their evening and drink responsibly; so ensure everyone has booked a taxi service such as Uber or Bolt to get them home safely.

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