If you’re planning to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day this year by knocking back a few Bud Lights with your friends, more power to you! We won’t judge. But if you’re looking for something a little more adventurous and memorable (minus all the green food coloring), may we suggest a beer tasting flight?
In case you haven’t done one before, a “flight” is a lineup of small, sample-sized pours of several different types of beers. For new beer drinkers, enjoying a tasting flight with friends is the perfect way to find out what they’ve been missing. Even if you’re a regular beer drinker who already knows what you like, a flight is a fantastic way to venture outside your routine and sample styles and flavors you wouldn’t normally try. And believe us, there’s a lot you haven’t tried!
Utah’s brewing industry has exploded in the past few years. Just stroll down your grocer’s beer aisle and you’ll get an idea of the enormous variety of innovative brews coming from our local beer-makers. From pilsners to lagers to porters to stouts, Utah brewers have something for every taste, but you’ll never find the hidden gems unless you give them a try.
Here are five tips for how to host a tasting:
1. We recommend picking out four or five different beer selections that catch your eye. Have fun with your choices and be adventurous. Pick a few you normally would never taste. Best case scenario: you stumble onto a new favorite flavor. Worst case: you take a taste, make your bad-beer face, and move on to the next.
2. Don’t buy a full 6- or 12-pack of a beer you’re not sure you’ll like. For your flight, each pour should only be around 4 ounces, so a couple of cans or bottles will be enough to give six of you a taste. You can buy in singles at the Utah DABC or at local breweries that have in-house stores. Even some local grocery stores encourage you to build your own 6-pack.
3. When it comes to the tasting, start with lighter beers first and work your way up to the more overpowering varieties. Although the choices are almost limitless, here are a few fun and delicious Utah beers we’ve enjoyed:
o For a light option, try Salt Flats P1 Pilsner, Uinta Was Angeles, or Level Crossing Jazz Loon Lager.
o Work in a refreshing, fruity selection like UTOG Mandarina Kolsch, RoHa Bumpy Pucker Raspberry Sour, or Wasatch Blueberry Hefeweizen.
o Including an IPA is essential, as those hoppy favorites are super popular and there are so many great IPA styles to choose from. Our recent favorites include Roosters High Desert Hazy, Proper Yacht Rock Juice Box, and Squatter’s 147 West Broadway Hop.
o Finish up your session with the darkest beer for a satisfying, full-bodied ending. Consider Shades Milk Stout, Epic Son of a Baptist Coffee Stout, or Kiitos Coconut Stout.
4. If your friends are a talkative bunch, you can add to the fun by discussing the beers’ unique flavors as you go. Talking about the experience can sharpen your senses and your focus. Plus, your friends might notice something you missed, like the unusually creamy head on a pilsner, the subtle fruity notes of the IPA in your lineup, or the chocolatey finish of your stout.
5. And, of course, don’t forget the snacks!
Finally, let’s make sure you’re ready to join in the festivities with a hearty Irish cheer, “Sláinte is táinte!“ It’s pronounced “slawn-che iss toin-che” and it means “health and wealth.”
Sláinte is táinte!