How to host a beer tasting night, including choosing the right glassware

Beer is best enjoyed with good friends and this guide aims to help you share a good night with them and drink great craft beer

For many of us, having a beer with our friends at the local pub is a great bonding activity, and we love nothing more than chatting with them.

If you’re looking to enjoy a good pint with your friends but want a potentially cheaper night and a change of scene then look no further.

From picking the best free snacks to using the right glasses, this little guide aims to help you throw the best beer night ever.

It’s a great idea for a birthday or a way to celebrate any other occasion and we think it’s miles better than a dinner party any day!

Get out your Hopsmore beers

This is a beer tasting night so there should be a good selection of beers to try.

Break out your Hopsmore May beer case, as it includes IPAs, pale ales, a lager and a porter.

Choose free snacks

Everyone loves snacks and they make a great accompaniment to a beer, especially when the two go well together.

The secret of a good combination of snack and beer is balance. Don’t choose a snack that’s so overwhelming that the taste of the beer gets lost in the background.

You can always ask your friends to bring a snack each to share. That would make the night feel more like a team effort and all costs would not be borne by just one person.

Here’s a little general guide to pairing beer and snacks to help:

• Pale Ales: Meat pies, cold cuts, burgers
• Stock: chicken, cheese
• IPA: Strongly spiced dishes such as curry and
• sweet desserts like carrot cake
• Dark ales: hearty, flavorful food
• Stout: Salty foods like chips

Use the correct glassware

While drinking from a can is convenient, it doesn’t help you get the most out of your beer.

That’s because cans essentially cut your nose out of the drinking experience, and our sense of smell affects our sense of taste.

So, grab a good glass to enjoy this golden goodness!

There are a few things to consider when choosing the perfect glass. There’s the glass’s ability to release carbonation and deliver the flavor to just the right spot on the tongue. Then, among other things, it is a matter of capturing the aroma and escaping the head of foam.

In fact, it can be difficult to choose the right beer glass without expert knowledge. So here is a little guide for choosing the right glass for your beer:

• Pitchers and cups: best for beers like American ales and lagers, Scottish ales and Irish dry stouts.
• Chalices or Chalices: best for Belgian IPAs, Belgian Ales and other high ABV beers.
• Pilsner: best for American lagers and pilsners, Hefeweizens and blonde ales. Also ideal for light lager beers with a lot of carbonic acid.
• Tulip of the thistle: best for stronger, flavorful beers like double IPAs and Belgian ales.
• Wheat: best for wheat bocks, kristaleweizens or wheat beers.
• Snoop: best for higher gravity or higher alcohol beers such as Belgian ales, IPAs and wheat wines.
• Strange: best for delicate beers like Kolsch, Lambic, Gueuze or Rye.
• Flute: best for fruit beers, Krieks, Bière de Champagne and Belgian Lambics.

Use tips for taste

• Take a few puffs of beer before tasting
• Take a generous sip rather than a delicate sip as this should help you taste the beer
• Hold it in your mouth for a moment as there are taste receptors in your mouth, not just your tongue
• Think of the notes and flavors. Ask yourself questions like: Is the favor complex or one-dimensional? Is the bitterness balanced with sweetness or acidity? Are there subtle, spicy notes or floral notes?

So don’t waste any time. Taste the tastes, feel the aromas and have a great night with your friends while enjoying the wonderful drink that is craft beer.