A Thoughtful Place

A Thoughtful Place is a Tennessee based lifestyle blog about design, fashion, gatherings and the occasional from the heart post.

Beer Tasting Party

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A month or so ago when I flew to Austin I picked up a Martha Stewart Living Magazine. There was a great article on throwing a beer tasting party. Did any of you see that? It definitely peeked my interest and the hubbs and I knew it would be super fun to do with our group of friends. We honestly had a blast and plan to throw this event annually. We stuck with pub type food and kept things casual and easy IMG_8290 IMG_8320     ……………………..… the pub feel IMG_8290 I have to tell you the story behind the Guinness sign! I wasn’t leaving out my husband with the “Courtney’s Bar”. When I was in college I lived in London for a while and was able to travel to Ireland. My roommate and I stumbled up on an Irish pub called “Courtney’s”. After hanging out in there for a bit, I somehow convinced the owners to take down the posters and give them to me! I brought them all the way back from Ireland and have saved them in a poster tube all these years. Our beer tasting even was a great time to bust out the old Irish pub posters. Thank you, Courtney’s Bar!!!! IMG_8292 Here is Courtney’s bar in Killarney, Ireland where the poster is from. The pub first opened in 1891 and is still run by the Courtney family today. Such a fun memento from my travels to Ireland. Courtney's Bar in Killarney - a very traditional and well known Irish pub - Click for larger size image IMG_8294 The tablecloth was a giant chalkboard which made if fun for writing messages and creating the beer tasting stations. I could also easily label different food items on the table. You can see the tutorial on making the chalkboard table cloth here. IMG_8299 IMG_8333 IMG_8334 To help make things feel more pub like and authentic, I ordered a few items from Breadbasket.com. I was thrilled with how fast they arrived and the quality of the products. I bought six condiment cups, two cones for fries, one wire basket for pub chips, and the food-safe newsprint liners.   ………………………… the menu Jack Daniels Pulled Beef Sliders Strawberry & Walnut Salad with a Gorgonzola Champagne Vinaigrette Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Stacks Cocktail Meatballs Potato Wedges with Ketchup & Cilantro Ranch Pub Chips from Selma’s Carrots & Celery Assorted Snack Foods {popcorn, pub mix, etc} Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars {YUM!} IMG_8301 IMG_8303 All of our guests helped with something to make the preparation and night so much easier! Thanks, ya’ll! IMG_8318 IMG_8310 IMG_8316 ………………………….the tastings We ended up using plastic cups for the tastings. We realized it’s really important that each guest have the four pours in front of them in different glasses as opposed to using just one tasting glass. It made it much more manageable. We also kept the party small . . . six couples. I would not go over that number as it made it much easier to stand around the table and enjoy the tastings together. IMG_8293 IMG_8323 IMG_8340 While the menu and the décor were easy to pull off, the planning of the actual tastings was much more time consuming. And I can take zero credit as my husband pulled it all together. He spent a good month gathering amazing beers as well as information about them. He presented each flight {four small tastings at a time} to our guests at the tasting stations. For each flight, he placed the beers in a stand next to the table to make it easy to pour. Of course we had tons of water on hand as well! It really was fun to see what all of the guests thought about each beer and which ones they liked best. To make things easier, I have seen people host beer tastings where they offer light, mediums, and darks. That would be another way to do it if you are thinking of hosting your own. IMG_8345 IMG_8346 ……………………after the tastings Once the tastings were done, guests migrated to the garage for ping pong and darts. And let me tell you, there are some serious ex-tennis players in this crew and things get competitive! So fun. IMG_8309   IMG_8331   …………………….. thanks for coming IMG_8358-001 We are excited to make this an annual event. You can look here at Martha Stewart’s beer tasting party for more ideas and inspiration. It really was a laid back, casual and fun party to host. We are so lucky to have such fantastic friends to share nights like this with. We have known all the couples that attended for years and have been through countless life events together. Always nice to relax and enjoy a night of laughter and good times together. And thank you to my wonderful hubby for planning and hosting all of the tastings. You rock!

Comments

  4. Courtney–You guys did such a great job. The idea is so fun–and the decor is awesome. I have no doubt that the beer he chose was great too. I'm sure your guests are excited that this will be an annual event.

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  7. I love this idea Courtney! The pictures are all so cute – I actually just showed my hubby and would love to host a beer tasting some time! Looks like alot of fun – I love that it is a party that men can enjoy too 🙂

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  8. Okay, I so want to be invited next year! Ha! Seriously, this is so so so cute! I really love everything that you did! You absolutely thought of everything! I am really considering hosting our own! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. That looks like so much fun!!! Everything looks amazing, and I'm sure tasted divine! Love the pic of you two cuties at the end of the post! great party, girl! Cake time, now!

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