The Bar Towel

I'm looking for some advice. I need to know which beers to serve as an option to wine at a wine party. The wine tasting will be rather hip as I have a sommelier, but I'd like at least two different beer available.
After reading "Great Lakes Launches Hops for Hunger" posted by Cass, I'll be serving the Winter Ale as one offering. Any ideas to round it out--something darker?

(Last year, the two beers I served were not noteworthy.)

St Peter's Cream Stout.

I think it's important to remember the focus of the event. It's a wine tasting. Any beers offered are there for what purpose? Are these intended to be served to guests who don't want to drink the wine on offer? Are they to be served before (can't imagine they'd be served after)? Are you expecting guests at a wine tasting to intermix with beers? Or is the focus more a wine and beer tasting?

If there is a genuine need for beer at such an event I'd select something that has neither excessive malt or hops. You want people's palettes preserved for the wine tasting itself. A super hoppy IPA is going to blow out the taste buds if you're sampling pinot noirs (for example) and won't really complement the main event. Honestly I'd stick to a benign and slightly sweet style of beer like Kronenborg or Tuborg, for something local I'd suggest the Anti gravity from Robert Simpson. Bottom line, since this isn't a beer event and the patrons are unlikely to want to drink beer when you have presumably excellent wine and a sommelier to boot...go tame.

I think it would be equally odd to consider wine options for a beer tasting...but perhaps that's just me.

Yes, exactly what I did last year--I served Mill Street Organic for those not drinking the wine.

The problem with this event is that most of the non-wine drinkers are the spouses of our friends. I totally know--why not just drink the wine any way--we'll have some good ones, but I'd like to have an option for the whiners who won't drink wine.

Perhaps I'll just stick with the Winter Ale and help the cause. Or, I could be cruel and serve Bud Lite to them!

I guess it's all a matter of knowing your guests. If they aren't partaking in the wine because they aren't really in to alcohol (which is fine) then a choice in beer is fairly redundant. If they don't partake in a wine event because they have more pedestrian tastes then a fancy selection of beer might be equally offputting. The chances that the non wine drinking spouses of your guests are going to be open to a less than mainstream offering of beers...

I think you buy some generic beer and save your money for the really great wine you'll want to have on hand.

I would bring very good representatives of any style, no matter what they are: if you tell people what to look for, they may be able to appreciate it.

Recently I was having a Raftman at Rebel House. A friend with me who rarely drinks beer said, "I'll have what he's having". I suspect this person doesn't really like beer although I am not sure. So I said, look, this is a Belgian wit beer style that uses a small amount of lightly smoked malt, and it has a bready, somewhat lactic and citric taste with tinges of smoke and mild bitterness. And his wife said, "and you're going to DRINK that, hon'?" - but he did. Not only that, he said this is good and drank it down and then had another! He said he enjoyed it because he knew what to look for, he could place it in context. (But also the beer just was very good, and I think he got that).

So if you do this there is a chance people can appreciate a fine beer for what it is.

I'd bring Pilsener Urquel, for a classic Czech lager, and maybe Tankhouse ale for a good representative of American Pale Ale (the style). Or say Sinha stout and Golden Pheasant in the new bottle, there are endless possibilities.

Or maybe bring a growler of Gin Lane Ale and IPA from the Granite. The key is to explain well what they are and that for well-hopped styles, the hop bitter off-sets the malty - sweet, porridgey - richness. So often people think beer is "bitter" or "heavy" without knowing why. Why is vintage port not "heavy" but a decent stout is? At best this is ignorance but wine tasters are good subjects to introduce good beer to because they have some experience with identifying different flavours and can key in to those even of a drink they don't know well.

E.g., I've never been to a tea tasting and almost never drink tea but if someone explained the different types I think I could get it. Maybe tequila is a better example because it has (most would agree I think) a pronounced flavour that needs to be acquired. I have relatively little experience with tequila and don't really "like" it but I'd enjoy a tasting given by someone who knows the ropes, or at least I could learn from it.

Gary

midlife crisis wrote:St Peter's Cream Stout.

I have some of this in my fridge right now. Hmm... I think I'll open one.

I guess it's apples and oranges. Gary's advice is all well and good but...he's describing a mixed tasting of wine AND beer. If I were the sommelier I'd be confused why I was there if you were spending so much time educating folks on the finer points of beer. Well, I guess he/she is getting paid regardless.

I guess I equate it to being invited to a square dance and having someone trying to teach me to salsa...but, it's your party. Do as you feel you should.

old faithful wrote:I would bring very good representatives of any style, no matter what they are: if you tell people what to look for, they may be able to appreciate it.
...

Gary

I was thinking of doing the opposite, but maybe you're right. I do want to buy the Winter Ale for sure--and its flavour does fit your criteria. The question is--with what do I match it? Something light?

I know this is kinda ridiculous, but I've before brought 750ml bottles of Blanche, Maudite & Fin du Monde to things like this. Amazing how far packaging goes.

Cass wrote:I know this is kinda ridiculous, but I've before brought 750ml bottles of Blanche, Maudite & Fin du Monde to things like this. Amazing how far packaging goes.

Actually, I was thinking of serving a belgian-style--I have Affligem Tripel in my fridge.

Check out the Dogfish Head website....they equate their beers with wine styles...kind of an interesting take on it.

For example:
60 Minute IPA
Wine comparable: Busty Chardonnay

Indian Brown Ale
Wine comparable: Shiraz

You could have some fun with this....good luck with the event.

lagerale wrote:Check out the Dogfish Head website....they equate their beers with wine styles...kind of an interesting take on it.

For example:
60 Minute IPA
Wine comparable: Busty Chardonnay

Indian Brown Ale
Wine comparable: Shiraz

You could have some fun with this....good luck with the event.

Ah, now this is interesting. Thanks for the tip.