How to Host a Kick-Ass Beer Tasting

I played host at a beer tasting last night in Toronto, and I’ve got to say that it was one of the more extraordinary such events I’ve ever had the pleasure of participating in. Part of its success was the location – an event venue called Coupe Space, which brilliantly strides the line between casual and elegant – and the audience, too, played a role in the dynamic. But at the risk of patting myself too heavily on the back, I’ve got to say that the principle reason it was such a marvelous occasion was my insistence on adhering to what experience has taught me are the keys to running a successful beer tasting.

1. Mix the Conventional with the Unattainable: A good tasting is one in which audience members have an opportunity to sample things they have not before tasted, of course. However, in contrast to the pricey bottles which might be opened at a wine or whisky tasting, most beers are fairly low-priced and thus easily accessible to consumers, which makes the allure of trying them at a tasting slightly less than it might otherwise be. So what I like to do is mix things up between draft and bottled beers – since few people have a draft system at their homes – plus both brands that are available down the street and others that are entirely unavailable. At last night’s event, for example, a few of the ales were ones easily purchased locally, while others were aged versions of beers no longer available and still others were brands completely foreign to consumers in Ontario. Such a mix keeps things interesting.

2. Keep the Styles Flowing: Sure, you could pull together a tasting of India pale ales or barleywines, and when well organized, those can be a lot of fun, but the average beer drinker will walk away with a better experience from a tasting that offers more stylistic breadth. Again, to use last night as an example, we sampled from lambic and saison to unfiltered lager, rauchbier (smoked malt beer from Bamberg, Germany), strong Belgian and Belgian-style ales, a double IPA and an aged Imperial stout, finishing with the world’s strongest beer, the Boston Beer Company’s Sam Adams Utopias.

3. Add a Little Background: As sommeliers know well, people love to learn while they taste, and there’s nothing quite like hearing about the stepped vineyards and romantic setting of the winery as you sip its wares. Unless, that is, it’s learning how the IPA style was born out of necessity when the Brits were shipping barrels of ale to India, even as you enjoy the assertive, appetizing hoppiness of a new generation American India pale ale.

4. And Most Importantly, Keep It Fun: Beer does not, and to my mind, should not evoke seriousness, it being first and foremost a sociable drink, meant to be enjoyed with friends and family and not rigidly studied and critiqued. So while I encourage tasters at my events to think about what they are sampling and pull out flavors and aromas, so that they learn about the complexities of beer even as they’re discovering new styles, I also as much as possible make sure that everyone is having a good time.

Because if you’re not having fun, what’s the point of paying to attend a tasting anyway?

Comments

[Stephen Beaumont]

The Appetizers
Black Oak Summer Saison (Oakville, Ontario)
Rodenbach Grand Cru (Roeselare, Belgium)
Cantillon Gueuze (Brussels, Belgium)

First Course
Christoffel Blond (Roermond, Netherlands
DeuS, Brut de Flandres (Buggenhout, Belgium)
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Bamberg, Germany)

Plat Principal
Brooklyn Local 1 (Brooklyn, New York)
Westmalle Dubbel (Malle, Belgium)
Iron Hill Old Ale 2004 (Willmington, Delaware)

Dessert
Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA (Battle Creek, Michigan)
Tsarina Katarina Imperial Stout 2005 (Ottawa, Ontario)
Utopias 2007 (Boston, Massachusetts)

[Stan Hieronymus]

Just for fun, what was the precise beer list?