Beer Tasting Last Saturday Night

I conducted a beer tasting last Saturday night. A church I used to attend had a talent auction about a year ago and they asked me to auction off a beer tasting. The buyer redeemed it last Saturday. I billed it as Beers of the World, so I focused more on geography than style. I think it went well. Everyone seemed truely engaged in the beer and were even taking notes. It was a great group and we had a lot of fun. I provided the following beers for tasting, discussion, and evaluation:

• Germany: Paulaner Hefeweizen (South German Style Hefeweizen)
• Belgium: Grimbergen Blonde (Belgian Style Pale Strong Ale)
• Scotland: Bitter & Twisted (Classic English Style Pale Ale)
• Great Britain: Meantime IPA (English Style India Pale Ale)
• Belgium: Chimay Grande Reserve/Chimay Bleu (Belgian Dark Strong Ale)
• Sri Lanka: Lion Stout (Foreign/Export Stout)
• United States: Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quad-Lambic)

We discussed each in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and overall impression. I provided rating sheets for those that wanted to take notes. Every beer seemed to be liked by someone. The Hefeweizen by few and the Bitter & Twisted by many. The Stout went over very well as did the Three Philosophers.

I have been to a lot of tastings and they are all about the beer to some degree. Most are put on by bars which charge $25 to $30 to as many as they can get. The discussion gets lost out in those usually being dominated by a few, but they are still fun. I really liked this approach with only 10 guests. Almost everyone asked questions or commented. I hope to do more and would prefer the smaller intimate setting like this one.