Party Beer?

[Fingerlickin_B]

What do you guys do when it's party time?

I've been putting more time and effort into my beer lately, but when it comes to beer for a party why should I bother?

My staple party "brew" is a simple toucan jobby...1x Cooper's Real Ale & 1x Coopers Candain Blonde mixed to 21L, pitch the supplied-with-blonde-kit yeast @ 20deg for nine days, then straight to the keg. My mates drink it down fast regardless of what else is on offer!

Last time I took one with steeped grains, good yeast, multiple hop additions etc, it got treated like crap and ended up being the "goon" for drinking games started by some dude who told me the head of Cooper's gets angry at barmen who don't stir up the sediment.................f*cked if I'll waste beer like that again!

So yeah, my question is "what do you do for party beer?".

PZ.

 

[Adamt]

I'm currently thinking about the same thing, doing some extremely far ahead planning, and am trying to plan a brew for my 21st in September NEXT year. Hopefully I'll have a keg setup by then.

I am thinking to do something as "non-offensive" as possible to regular swillers; hence I'm thinking a nice APA with a bit of cara and dry wheat extract and a fair amount of bitterness.

I think the key thing would be to not make anything too fancy that swillers won't appreciate.

 

[PostModern]

I think the key thing would be to not make anything too fancy that swillers won't appreciate.

I agree, but I like to challenge the palates of heathens. I was hosting a post golf beer event, so I brewed a smooth oatmeal stout. Nice and approachable, but interesting. About 10 days before the event, I heard that one of the punters doesn't like dark beer... grrrr... got a Black Rock IPA kit, brewed it with a partmash of pilsner malt and a touch of crystal, dextrose to 1.050 and hopped with Hallertau. Fermented with 1968. I kegged it the day before serving with a shake rattle and roll force carb. Came out quite nice. I think party beers should be fresh and easy to drink styles, but with something you like in them.

 

[sog]

In years gone by I have hosted a Beerthday bash every April. My approach was simply to provide a little bit of everything - it was basically a way to clear out old stocks and start again and throw a cheap party for which people would pay me back by shouting me drinks at pubs all year round.

I found that most of my friends appreciated the different styles early in the night ... then later on I'd really just get rid of the failed experiments.

... and for the non-beer drinkers (oh my Dog!) I'd provide plenty of alcoholic ginger beer and cider.

If I was to make a special party brew, I'd make it reasonably bland. Australians drink Cartlon Crap and thinks it's real beer so I wouldn't go to any great trouble. My approach allowed me to make many batches during the year without getting sick of any of them and provided my guests with an education in the different styles of beer made by beer lovers (not money lovers).

 

[Linz]

My idea on this would be to brew a low hopped brew. Something along the lines of a Wit or Koelsch, if you want to finish it off yourself later.

Otherwise Id stick to your recipe Fingerlickin_B, sounds like it's on the money...or invite better beer educated friends only to these parties!?!

 

[Josh]

I've found people who don't tend to experiment when they drink like my all grain wit I've been brewing recently. Not too bitter, but with a different kind of flavour. And it goes down great hanging around in the pool in the Summer months.

For the real swillers I'll be doing a batch of cooper's mexican cerveza, 1kg dry malt extract, dry hopped with a handful of cascade.

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

All of my friends know that I brew so if they come to a party, they drink what is on tap.

If my brother-in-laws are invited, they will bring a case or two of West End! h34r:

C&B
TDA

 

[Justin T]

My mates are starting to come around to the idea of beer with flavour. I basically mae them try each of my brews and they are slowly, but surely coming around! :chug:

 

[Steve Lacey]

If my brother-in-laws are invited

Sounds like they can't take that for granted

But that's my answer too: only invite people who will appreciate the beer, or insist if they don't like what's on offer to bring their own. Playing drinking games with good hand-crafted beer? Well, that's just plain bad manners and I would kick the bastards out -- or at the very least never invite them back. Seriously.

 

[Coodgee]

I've been thinking about this for a while and decided that I will brew one keg of fantastic beer, full of hop flavour, aroma and bitterness, just like I like it. and in my other keg, I'll buy a couple of bottles of bourbon and get some coke syrup and make up some burbon and coke on tap. that should keep everyone happy.

 

[Bobby]

one bad thing about mates enjoying your beers is they tend to bring along a six pack of swill like vb to drink but then get stuck into the homebrew (leaving the vb in the fridge) and leave you with the vb.
its abit embarrassing to have vb in your fridge really.

 

[bindi]

one bad thing about mates enjoying your beers is they tend to bring along a six pack of swill like vb to drink but then get stuck into the homebrew (leaving the vb in the fridge) and leave you with the vb.
its abit embarrassing to have vb in your fridge really.

I was typing almost the same reply and you just beat me only XXXX and that crap Mid fizz, can't give it away

 

[Bobby]

...only XXXX and that crap Mid fizz, can't give it away

funny you should mention that a while ago i was doing promos in the uni break and one of my jobs was to give xxxx gold away for a promotion. i did struggle sometimes....

 

[Coodgee]

sorry to hijack the thread.. I tend to do "volunteer work" at a pub in the city here. They serve a great range of beers on tap including little creatures etc. I like to stand at the corner of the bar and promote "real beers" to those that only ever venture as far as corona or stella. I've actually converted a few. but alot of them don't believe it when I tell them I'm only doing for the love of beer. tehy think I must be a sales rep

 

[Jye]

sorry to hijack the thread.. I tend to do "volunteer work" at a pub in the city here. They serve a great range of beers on tap including little creatures etc. I like to stand at the corner of the bar and promote "real beers" to those that only ever venture as far as corona or stella. I've actually converted a few. but alot of them don't believe it when I tell them I'm only doing for the love of beer. tehy think I must be a sales rep

Hey Coodgee, what pub is this??? Might have to check it out :chug:

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I would kick the bastards out -- or at the very least never invite them back. Seriously.

Couldn't quite do that...as on that occasion it wasn't my party h34r:

Mates that come to my place regularly certainly do appreciate my beer, I was really talking about others who don't :beer:

PZ.

 

[Coodgee]

maybe you will groan.. maybe not.. it's the pig'n'whistle at the river side centre. they don't always have LCPA on tap, but have had it in the past.

they have as staples on tap:

Teltleys
Newcastle Brown
Speckled Hen
Beez Neez
Coopers Pale Ale
Coopers Sparkling Ale
Kronenberg
Asahi
Hoegardeen

Plus they tend to cycle between bohemian pils,authentic Belgium wheats, little creatures pale/bright ale, rogers etc

there are more but I just can't think of them. I haven't seen a better range on tap then this place. It's expensive though. most pints set you back about 8-9$.

The service is friendly, the crowd is usually white collar.. I go there after work (what can you expect on friday afternoon at 5pm). there are always plenty of british and scottish lads getting on the piss there too.

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

If my brother-in-laws are invited

Sounds like they can't take that for granted

Exactly Steve, Xmas day at our place can be a hoot though. They normally go upmarket and bring along a case of Crownies

C&B
TDA

 

[Jase]

If my brother-in-laws are invited

Sounds like they can't take that for granted

Exactly Steve, Xmas day at our place can be a hoot though. They normally go upmarket and bring along a case of Crownies

C&B
TDA

I didn't know that you all know my brother-in-law. Only one thing differs though, is he'll drink anything, homebrew, vb, crownies, even Tooheys new, if offered to him free of charge.

Cheers,
Jase

 

[SteveSA]

If my brother-in-laws are invited, they will bring a case or two of West End! h34r:

C&B
TDA

What is it with brothers-in-law? Same here except one swears by VB and the other is WE.

Generally I'll put on a pale beer (APA or light coloured lager) and something a bit darker - alt, scottish or porter (ahem... koelsch :lol: )

Next party will have a bit more variety though... IPA, alt, porter & either a bock or vienna lager