Red, White & Brew Patriotic Beer Tasting Party

The summer is heating up and the 4th of July is just around the corner. Toast friends, freedom, and fun with this Red, White, and BREW Patriotic Beer Tasting Party!

If you are burnt out on boring backyard BBQs it’s time to get your holiday hoppin’ with a patriotic beer tasting party. This little get-together is certain to get lots of cheers, and “ALE” yeahs!

How to Host a Craft Beer Tasting

Having a casual beer-tasting party while you wait for grilled burgers on the BBQ is a fun twist on the traditional 4th of July BBQ.

You don’t have to be a beer connoisseur to host a craft beer tasting party. Don’t be intimidated, you and your guest can enjoy sampling and rating new or favorite beers with these simple tips and free downloads.

Pick out a Diverse Selection of Craft Beer

Variety is key when it comes to hosting a beer tasting. When selecting your beers, try to include a light beer, a pale ale, an amber ale, and a darker beer as well. For something fun and different add a fruity or sour beer into the tasting! I always try to incorporate local craft beers as well as a few staple favorites.

Set the Scene

Since it’s summer I set up our beer tasting outside by the pool. I liked the idea of having everyone gathered around the table to taste and compare so I set up a table with beer-tasting glasses at each seat, patriotic plates, some salty snacks, and printable tasting cards.

These red and white striped plates pair perfectly with these fun star-shaped plates. Having the table already set with festive paper goods made it easy to jump right into the tasting.

Don’t forget to provide water for guests to cleanse their pallets in between tastings. And don’t forget the patriotic custom koozies from Oriental Trading to keep drinks cold!

Pour Properly

Pour sample-sized portions into tasting glasses for your guests. I placed wooden tasting boards, with 4 tasting cups, in front of each place setting. Good sample size is about 3-4 oz. So one regular beer bottle will pour about 3-4 servings.

I like to do a Blind Tasting because it helps guests get over any preconceived perceptions they may have about different types of beer. As the host, you will place the beer in bags to conceal their identity and keep track of which beer is poured in which tasting glass. An easy way to do this is to create custom beer labels.

Jot It Down

Have your party guests compare flavors and aromas, add tasting notes, and rate the different varieties. Download these free Red, White, and BREW tasting cards to help your guests rate their favorites!

After everyone has sampled them all, compare the favorites and reveal the different beers. Be sure to have full bottles for guests to choose from and drink when the tasting portion ends.

I also created a custom beer caddy so guests could create their own mix-and-match pack with their favorites to take home. Be sure to download the free printable labels to create your own patriotic party favors!

Bring on the Patriotic Party Snacks

While drinking, definitely have some salty snacks on hand for your guests. They pair perfectly with beer!

Popcorn, chips, and pretzels are all great choices and really easy to throw together before the party! Set up a Patriotic snack station and use festive metal buckets, a wooden pretzel board, and cute red and white striped serving trays.

Oriental Trading has a huge selection of festive patriotic decor, which is where I found everything for this party!

A charcuterie board is always a great snack idea, but if you want to stick with something more traditional and substantial serve grilled sliders or hot dogs. You can’t go wrong with beer and BBQ!

Make a big splash at this summer party with beer-themed games like the inflatable beer pong pool float.

This party is sure to brew up a good time!

I’m a big fan of easy summer entertaining. So, ditch the boring BBQ, and be sure to check out these popular blog posts for even more ideas to make your 4th of July celebration memorable! Create a DIY Patriotic Italian Soda Bar for your backyard BBQ, host a Patriotic Ice Cream Social, or set up a Patriotic Popcorn Bar for the fireworks show.

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Mariah

Mariah Leeson is the creative mind behind www.gigglesgalore.net. With a passion for celebrating, Mariah created Giggles Galore to inspire families to celebrate life’s little moments with creative, budget friendly ideas. She loves cooking, reading, crafting, hosting parties and most of all spending time giggling with her family.