Beer Presentation - What Styles/examples

[bconnery]

I'm doing a presentation including a tasting for a team building exercise

I'm going to do a quick bit on history and how beer is made but the most important and fun part is the associated tasting.
The audience will be mostly not hard core beer geeks so I'm probably not going to jump straight to an Imperial IPA but I thought I'd throw this out there for suggestions for obvious styles and examples (as if I didn't have enough to choose already ...). The caveat is that they must be relatively cheap, nothing crazily expensive, and relatively easily available in somewhere like Dan Murphys.

Here's what I'm loosely thinking of choosing from so far. Around 4/5 styles/examples, possibily in this order, but perhaps not.

Pilsner - (James Squire, Urquell, ?)

Australian Pale - Coopers (Bridge Rd at a stretch but I'd like to stick with the standard I think)

APA/AAA - Sierra Nevada, Little Creatures (Bright or Pale)

Something English maybe...

Stout/Porter - Coopers Stout/JS Porter

Something fruit/spiced/different. I want something that challenges a little and reinforces my perception of the wonderously complex beast that beer can be. (I might just say stuff it and bring in some of my lambics ...)

 

[Pennywise]

If Uncle Dan's still has Landlords I'd go for that for the English beer. I reckon it's a good idea to throw a wild one in there as well, give em' both ends of the stick. What about a Strong Ale, maybe something a little smokey/peaty?

 

[hsb]

Old Speckled Hen is only $5 a bottle at Dan Murphys if you want an English Style
http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_138962...peckled-hen-ale

US style if you want to follow up with a hop-slap in the face

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - $4.50
http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_382554...nevada-pale-ale

Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA - $5
http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_382551...rpedo-extra-ipa


4Pines Hefeweizen - $4
http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_379002...ines-hefeweizen

or splash out - $5.69
http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_904076...ewessbier-500ml

They do a couple of Krieks at Dans - Timmermanns and Mort Subite Extreme, so sign of straight up lambic though - bring your own for sure!

Stout surely deserves a Guinness:
http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_19559/...-stout-stubbies

 

[winkle]

I'm doing a presentation including a tasting for a team building exercise

I'm going to do a quick bit on history and how beer is made but the most important and fun part is the associated tasting.
The audience will be mostly not hard core beer geeks so I'm probably not going to jump straight to an Imperial IPA but I thought I'd throw this out there for suggestions for obvious styles and examples (as if I didn't have enough to choose already ...). The caveat is that they must be relatively cheap, nothing crazily expensive, and relatively easily available in somewhere like Dan Murphys.

Here's what I'm loosely thinking of choosing from so far. Around 4/5 styles/examples, possibily in this order, but perhaps not.

Pilsner - (James Squire, Urquell, ?)

Australian Pale - Coopers (Bridge Rd at a stretch but I'd like to stick with the standard I think)

APA/AAA - Sierra Nevada, Little Creatures (Bright or Pale)

Something English maybe...

Stout/Porter - Coopers Stout/JS Porter

Something fruit/spiced/different. I want something that challenges a little and reinforces my perception of the wonderously complex beast that beer can be. (I might just say stuff it and bring in some of my lambics ...)

Bellevue kriek? Yes I know, but it's readly available and could be considered a gateway beer for the masses.



Edit: tinny

 

[Silo Ted]

:unsure:

Bellvue kriek? Yes I know, but it's readly available and could be considered a gateway beer for the masses.

A gateway to homosexuality more like it.:wub:

 

[stux]

I always like giving a peche lambic to people who say they don't like beer. It's a mind opener

Normally not as OTT as a kriek

 

[MarkBastard]

I think you should cover styles, but also cover intensity of flavour. For that reason I'd say an entry level IPA as well as a pale ale, so people can see what bitterness and hop flavour are by seeing the difference in the two.

Personally I would forget the coopers, most people probably have drunk that and it's shit anyway.

I'd be thinking...

American Pale
American or English IPA
English Pale
Stout/Porter
Something Euro however a bit more interesting, maybe a Dunkleweizen
A real Pilsner

 

[Tanga]

If you want an English style that's a little different I recommend Wychwood Hobgoblin. Popular with beer geeks, and drinkable by all. Damn tasty, looks good, and something different from the others on your list. Technically a Northern English Brown, bright red, and highlights malts and biscuity flavours without being acrid.

PS. You don't really need another pale.

You could start with the real pilsner and let them know this is what most Aussie beers are based on (once upon a time) and go from there.

 

[argon]

Throw a Hefe Weissbier in there to.... something from Weihenstephan, which is usually at Dan's. Plenty of opportunity to talk about yeast flavours and aromas... eg bubblegum and clove etc

+1 on the Landlord

For the stout stick to Guinness... purely for the moutffeel of the nitro pack

Pair the SN Pale with the SN Torpedo so you can explain the graduation of bitterness from on estyle to the next.

Then finish off with a Lambic or something, for mind blow effect

LaChouffe for a Belgian :icon_drool2:

Your only choice for a pils is an Urquell... the original and the best. Nothing else compares. (With the possible exception of Budvar)

Edit: BTW i have an awesome IPA you can have h34r:

 

[chunckious]

For the Pils I'd go for Grand Ridge Pilsner. Cheaper than JS and doesn't taste like aluminum.

 

[kocken42]

I think it's worth chucking in a few American style lagers to allow your guests to see the difference between a beer made with a large amount of adjuncts and a beer made with all malt (the pilseners). The difference is very noticeable when they are tasted one after the other.

Always good to compare American and English styles of pale ales and IPA's (earthy and herbal vs. fruity)

Belgium strong ale is a must.

 

[winkle]

If you finish with a XXXX gold the message might get through

 

[manticle]

Duvel for easily accessible, delicious gateway Belgian.

Urquell or Trumer

Speckled Hen or Fullers ESB for english just to darken things up a little

A dark and a light wheat - erdinger maybe?

Gateway apa as you have already suggested (LC, sierra etc)

Personally I don't really rate the squire pilsner but I reckon the porter, when fresh/well handled (as long as they haven't changed the recipe along with the branding) is great.

Fruit/spiced different - my vote would go with rochefort 10. Technically it's spiced with a touch of coriander (hardly discernible) but it's more the complexity of the beverage which will show how so few ingredients can make a drink so amazingly different. Otherwise I guess lambic/framboise etc is the most obvious.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

APA, English Pale Ale, Weiss, Dunkelweiss, belgian pale, belgian strong, belgian wit (to show the difference between German and Belgian beers that are reasonably the same style (and ingredients) but fundamentally different yeasts), and a real pilsener both local (fresh) and imported (not usually as fresh).

As follows (Dan Murphy's assumption, not beer geek assumption):

APA - Sierra Nevada (given it's at Dans), Boston Mill Pale Ale, Atomic Pale Ale and for the adventurous something a little more "out there" or an AIPA that isn't OTT - can't think of anything off hand. Show the difference between a basic quaffing APA, and something a little more challenging. Show the difference between an American Pale Ale and an Australian APA from a micro. Maybe compare with Knappstein (yes I know it's owned by Fosters and soon to be SABmiller), Pepperjack and Bridge Roads or another "real" micro.

English Pale Ale - TTLL, anything kentish, maybe chuck in a red ale, even if it is just kosciuszko red ale?

Weiss/Dunkelweiss - get Franziskaner - it's cheaper than Erdinger, and IMO as good as or better (and still cheaper) than Weihenstephaner. Maybe demonstrate the difference between a Kristall (Weihen) vs a hefe.

Belgian Pale - anything good, default to leffe if an issue.

Belgian Strong - La Chouffe, Trois Monts, maybe Leffe Raduese if you don't want to overwhelm your audience.

Belgian Wit - Hoegaarden of course (and compared to Fransziskaner). Compare to White Rabbit White Ale (if handled okay) and White Rabbit Dark (to show that dark doesn't mean overbitter and burnt/acrid).

Pilsner - Paulaner Pilsner vs something like Stefano's Pilsner or Little Creatures. Maybe a comparison between a local pilsner and boh pils.



PS: lucky you.

 

[jbowers]

Leave out the aussie pale ale. Everyone has had coopers.

I'd stick with APA - Little Creatures, Kooinda or Sierra Nevada
Pils - Urquell or Trumer
Hefe - Weihenstephaner (everyone loves hefeweizens...)
Stout - Coopers is a good choice
I reckon for the last one a big belgian like Chimay blue or Rochefort 10 would go down a treat.

 

[DU99]

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout,montheith's black beer,or holgate temptress,Matilda Bay Dogbolter
some you can get @murhpy's or 1St choice

 

[[email protected]]

I'd include a bit of background on how the nose and tongue work as well as how they work together to recognise flavour and aroma. I know it might be a tad educational but the audience will hopefully get a better appreciation of what's in front of them.

Cheers
Booz

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Make sure they aren't drinking out of the stubby. It can make a hoppy APA taste like beer water.

Ol' Boozer is right - the way the palate and nose identify aroma in particular, given most the suggestions tend to be more toward hoppy (therefore aromatic) beers.

Goomba

 

[bconnery]

Make sure they aren't drinking out of the stubby. It can make a hoppy APA taste like beer water.


Goomba

Goomba,
Did you really think I was going to do a beer tasting and then leave them in the bottle!?

Great suggestions peoples!
Although this tasting would turn into a serious session if I followed everyone's example! (Not that there's anything wrong with that...)

4/5 beers is the limit time will allow, there's some other meeting stuff that will get in the way...

 

[Tanga]

Decide what you're going to go with?