Craft Beer Tasting Game

So there’s this game that I’ve started setting up for Price every year for his birthday! I want to say we have done it at least three years now. Maybe 4?! Anyway, if you love craft beer, or even if you just want to start trying more craft beer, then this game will be fun for you too!

Several friends have asked me lately how to set it up, so I thought it’d be a fun post topic!

It’s a craft beer tasting game! Usually it’s just Price and me participating, but it would be fun with more people too! I set it up and Price guesses which small pour goes with which beer bottle. For each one he gets right, I let him open a present. (No, I don’t buy him 6 presents! I usually get him one or two, then buy fun little happies in the Target dollar bin!)

For the game, here is your list of supplies:

– a create-your-own 6 pack with 6 different beers. (Of course you can do more if you want!)

– 6 small cups/glasses for small pours of each (multiply this by however many tasters you’ll have if it’s more than one)

– 3 paper straws cut in half, numbered 1-6 with a sharpie (multiply this by however many tasters you’ll have if it’s more than one)

– bottle opener (since most craft beer does not have twist off caps)

– palette cleansing beverage. (water is good!)

THE SETUP

(This step needs to be done before the taster(s) enters the room!)

Number each bottle with the sharpie in an inconspicuous place (like on the back label if possible! Like so.)

Pour a small amount of beer #1 into a glass and put the straw with #1 on it in that cup. Continue with beers 2-6, so you’ll have 6 pours labeled with the 6 numbered straws. (And you don’t have to use straws as the labelers. I just think straws are cute!) If you have two tasters, pour two samples of each. You get the idea!

Then randomly arrange the beer bottles to where the taster(s) can’t see the backs where you’ve numbered them.

Randomly arrange the small cups close to the bottles.

As the taster(s) picks up their cup(s) and samples the pour, they get to guess which bottle the pour came from! If they guess *that* bottle, then look on the back of *that* bottle and see if they were right. If they were wrong, they have to guess again! They get a prize when they get the guess right 🙂

Keep going until all are guessed correctly. Then then game has been won! 🙂

It’s fairly simple but it’s really fun! And you get to try different fun beers!

Also- fun craft beer fact I learned when I worked for a food blog- Craft beer flavors are most alive when the beer is only slightly cold. It doesn’t have to be super cold, contrary to popular belief. Cheap beers are best freezing cold because they have less personality and the cold makes them more palatable. But craft beers’ personalities shine when the beer is only slightly cold! And they do have much more personality than your regular, say, Bud Light.

All that to say, it’s ok if the pours sit out for a few minutes before the taster(s) tries them!