Recommendations for organizing a beer tasting

Beer lovers always enjoy sharing their passion with others. It’s irresistible to talk about that latest discovery, just like when you see a movie you love or read an amazing book. Sometimes this evangelizing leads us to organize a private beer tasting with friends and family. You want to shine, show everything you know, and give them a memorable experience—but do you know everything you need to keep in mind?

• Plenty of clean glassware. It may seem obvious, but depending on the number of participants you won’t always have enough glasses. Ideally, you’d have the right glass for each style, but that rarely happens. Otherwise, most homes have wine glasses that let you see the contents and concentrate the aromas.
• Enough space, free of odors and with good lighting. Bear in mind that at an advanced point in the tasting there will be several bottles and other items on the table. Make sure each person has enough room to lay out their samples. There should also be no distracting smells. Rule out holding the tasting in the kitchen, but don’t organize it in a living room full of candles or incense either. Likewise, lighting is essential to appreciate the appearance of the drink.
• Avoid using distractions such as loud music or strong perfumes. You’re not in a nightclub. You can play music, but it shouldn’t muddy the experience. Same with perfumes. Let your guests know so the beers don’t end up smelling like designer cologne.
• Theme: you can take a tour of classic styles, focus on specific countries, or offer different interpretations of the same style—whatever you can think of. The key here is to give structure to the whole. For example, you can choose one beer from each region of Europe or America, focus on just one country (Belgian, German, British), choose only one style (IPA, bock, weisse), or even seasonal beers (Oktoberfest, Halloween, Christmas, etc.). The key is to give coherence to the set of beers you’re going to taste.
• Beginning, middle, and end. You need to give the experience a narrative thread. You can start with a more accessible beer, gradually increase the complexity, and finish with a more special one that leaves the audience excited. We always go from the mildest to the most intense. That’s the key principle for ordering the beers.
• Theoretical background and historical context. A tasting is not a drinking session. The purpose is not alcohol consumption, but the exchange of beer culture and sensory experiences. To lead a tasting, you must study the history of each style, its characteristics, the origin of the brewery, etc. In short, immerse yourself in knowledge that allows you to discuss each beer in depth and answer your guests’ questions. If you don’t feel entirely confident with the descriptors of each style, you can jot them down on a “cheat sheet”. For example, that German wheat beers should smell of banana and clove.
• Proper pairing. It’s not about putting on a banquet, but about accompanying each style with a pairing that amplifies the experience. Pairing is not about serving chips, olives and crackers with every beer. There has to be a connection. For example, a classic is porter with chocolate, or sour styles with pâté. You can pair by affinity or contrast, but the goal is always for the food to complement your perception of the beer.
• Recognize flaws. If a beer erupts like a geyser, is oxidized, or shows obvious defects, don’t try to justify the unjustifiable. Acknowledge that the beer is in poor condition and take the opportunity to explain the causes.
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• Fresh water at hand. Some people like to drink water between different beers, and it also serves to rinse glassware between styles.
• Serving temperature. To truly appreciate a beer, it shouldn’t be too cold. Cool, but not icy. That way it can fully express its sensory profile. You can take higher-alcohol beers out of the fridge at the start of the tasting so they can warm up slightly. Each style has an ideal serving temperature associated with it.
• Know your audience: don’t try to run before you can walk. If your audience is made up of beginners who only drink basic draft lagers, it would make no sense to talk to them about hop varieties or give them a vertical tasting of lambics. It’s better to start with the basics: brewing and accessible traditional styles. Likewise, if your audience is a group of beer geeks, you can bring out the heavy artillery and dive into more experimental and sophisticated references. Adapt to your audience so you neither overwhelm nor bore them.
• Tasting stages. Start with the visual stage, analyzing color, turbidity and head parameters. Then move on to the nose to detect esters, phenols, hop profile and other additions such as spices or fruit. Next, move to the palate to perceive flavors, body, bitterness, sweetness, acidity, etc. Finish with aftertaste and retronasal perception so the audience can analyze which sensations linger.
• Ask people. It’s extremely important to encourage participation and involve guests in the experience. You can ask what flavors or aromas the beer reminds them of, whether they like it, what they would pair it with. There are many ways to turn the tasting into an interactive experience.

With these tips you’ll be able to organise a beer tasting that will delight your guests. Taking the time to train and prepare this experience is essential. It’s all about sharing culture with others in a rigorous way and guiding them so they can appreciate all the nuances of our favourite drink.