In This Article
- Introduction to the Best Wedding Beers
- Factors to Consider When Choosing Wedding Beer
- Top Beer Styles That Work Well at Weddings
- Local vs Macro: Should You Serve Craft Beer or Big Brands?
- How Much Beer Should You Order for a Wedding?
- Wedding Beer Serving Options
- Suggested Beer Pairings for Wedding Food
- Top Picks: 7 Best Beers for Your Wedding
- Final Tips for Beer Success at Your Wedding
- Conclusion
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Introduction to the Best Wedding Beers
Weddings might be all about that champagne toast, but having a killer selection of beer can really elevate the experience of your guests. During the cocktail hour and on the dance floor, plenty of your guests will opt for a light lager or local IPA to celebrate the nuptials.
But planning for such a large number of people has its challenges. Do you opt for a macro lager that everyone will already be familiar with? What about craft beer? There are a lot of ways you can navigate the beverage menu, so I’ll give you some pointers for making your decision and a few of the best crowdpleasers.
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Factors to Consider When Choosing Wedding Beer
- Guest Preferences: You’ll need to know your audience, by taking the clientele into consideration is important. If your guest list is mostly older friends and family members, you can opt for simpler choices like a macro lager. Inviting a ton of millennials? You’ll need craft options with more flavor.
- Food Pairings: It’s helpful to select your beverage program after you’ve put together your menu. Beer and food pairing is another article, but lighter beers stand up to chicken or veggie options, while stronger/darker ales pair nicely with the steak option.
- Season and Venue: Outdoor Summer weddings will demand a lighter option. A winter wedding allows for robust options like IPA.
- Serving Format: Beer comes in bottles, cans, and kegs, so you’ll have to check with your venue for what’s allowed and available.
- Budget and Quantity: That is specific to every wedding, but you’ll need to match prices and manage your expectations. Light macro lager is almost always more affordable than craft beer.
Top Beer Styles That Work Well at Weddings
Blonde Ale or Golden Ale
This style is smooth, easy-drinking, and great for all guests. It’s an approachable alternative to a macro lager that will still bring some flavor to the party. Fat Tire and Firestone Walker 805 are widely available.
Hefeweizen or Wheat Beer
Light and refreshing, but interesting, the subtle fruit and spice of a wheat beer will offer flavors perfect for a summer wedding. Blue Moon, 3 Floyds Gumballhead, and Alagash White are superb household brands to include.
Pilsner or Lager
Crisp and clean, the macro versions are highly sessionable and familiar to most guests. The craft options are even better as you get the personal touch along with the drinkability. The macro lagers are usually the best option, but you can throw in a regional lager like Narragansett or Yuengling to add character to the beer list.
Pale Ale
The ideal way to incorporate hops into your drink program, a pale ale provides maximum flavor while maintaining drinkability. These are low alcohol, as well. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dale’s Pale Ale are perfect options as both older and younger guests will be familiar with them.
Amber Ale
This style is rich, toasty, and great for cooler weather, and can pair with hearty food. Bell’s Amber Ale is the industry standard, but you can also get similar flavors from Shiner Bock (technically a lager).
Light IPA or Session IPA
People will likely be having a few drinks, so offering a flavorful but sessionable option that’s still fun makes sense. Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty IPA, Bell’s Light Hearted Ale, and Lagunitas DayTime IPA are all widely available and delicious.
Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer
This is an increasingly important option as many people are steering away from alcohol, but you don’t have to settle for a lifeless and tasteless non-alcoholic beer. Athletic Brewing’s full lineup, Lagunitas NAIPA, and Heineken 0.0 are all decent options.
Local vs Macro: Should You Serve Craft Beer or Big Brands?
The Case for Local Craft Beer
If you want to wow your guests, especially those flying in from out of town, offer a local lager or IPA so they can get a taste of the location. The novelty and personal touch are always fun; these beers will likely taste better!
The Case for Macro Lagers
For budget-friendly events, macro lagers are familiar to guests and offer an unfussy option. They also work well for summer weddings!
Best of Both Worlds
One local craft option and a macro crowd-pleaser is your best bet as long as your budget allows. This is very common with most caterers and venues.
How Much Beer Should You Order for a Wedding?
Every budget and wedding size is different, but venues and vendors use a general rule of thumb to estimate how much beer you’ll want to buy. This should be based on guests of drinking age. The number may seem low, but it’s offset by the fact that there are other beverages served, and many guests will opt for wine or spirits (even if your beer choice is truly killer).
- Rule: 1 beer per (adult) guest per hour
- Example: 150 guests × 4-hour reception = ~600 beers
Wedding Beer Serving Options
- Bottles & Cans: Easy, versatile, portable, and recyclable. This is by far the most common route.
- Kegs: These are cost-effective, but need dispensing equipment and cooling. You’ll need to check with your venue and vendors.
- Mobile Beer Bars or Tap Trucks: Trendy and interactive—perfect for outdoor weddings. Ideal for pairing with food trucks or non-traditional catering!
- Signature Wedding Beer: Reach out to the brewers at your local brewery to make a custom-labeled beer or even a collaboration beer!
Suggested Beer Pairings for Wedding Food
- Pilsner’s drinkability and subtle flavors won’t overpower seafood or salads
- Wheat beer is excellent with chicken or grilled veggies
- Amber ales and even stouts are great with BBQ or roast beef
- An IPA has enough flavor to stand up to spicy foods or curry
- Stouts are the ideal post-dinner supper and pair with chocolate cake or a dessert bar
Top Picks: 7 Best Beers for Your Wedding
Keep in mind that we took distribution into consideration, so these are beers that you’ll be able to offer at a wedding almost anywhere.
- Firestone Walker 805: (4.7% ABV) – This super drinkable beer is available anywhere and provides more flavor than a macro lager.
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: (5.6% ABV) – Any craft beer aficionado will appreciate the OG hoppy beer; the relatively low alcohol makes it highly sessionable!
- Guinness Draught: (4.2% ABV) – Hear us out… You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate a Guinness, and you don’t need to be Irish to serve it at your wedding. Perhaps the world’s most beloved beer brand, this stout is actually highly drinkable. It’s low in calories, carbs, and ABV, along with being highly approachable. Even better, it’s something everyone is familiar with but still adds a personal touch. People will be talking about it for years!
- Brooklyn Lager: (5.2% ABV) – For a lager that brings more flavor than macro options, opt for (well-branded) cans of this quaffable amber lager.
- Allagash White: (5.2% ABV) – This wheat beer is the perfect wedding beer. It’s elegant, flavorful, and great for drinking any time of year.
- Lagunitas DayTime IPA: (4% ABV) – At 98 calories and 3 carbs, this hoppy IPA has no business being this flavorful.
- Bell’s Two Hearted Ale: (7% ABV) – One of the world’s best IPAs, Two Hearted drinks like a familiar favorite and packs massive flavor into its robust but approachable body. This is ideal for weddings in the colder months.
Final Tips for Beer Success at Your Wedding
You probably have enough on your plate, but here’s a quick rundown of how you can make your beer choice go as smoothly as possible.
- Do a tasting before choosing: Head to your local store to try a few of your options. You’ll know pretty quickly which ones will be a hit and which ones to skip! Just picture yourself in a suit or dress in summer/winter while drinking it.
- Include signage with flavor notes: Not every guest will be a beer aficionado, so short descriptions can be helpful if you’re serving specialty or craft options.
- Don’t forget the designated drivers: There’s never been so much quality non-alcoholic beer out there, so including NA options is easier than ever. Maybe even encourage some of the groomsmen to have a few later in the evening…
Conclusion
Your wedding day is easily one of the most important in your life, and there are a thousand things to consider. There are far more stressful things to consider than the beer menu, but a little thought can go a long way in setting yourself up for success on the big day. Matching beer to the moment and adding a personal touch is a fun detail that guests will enjoy and remember fondly, so make sure everyone (including YOU) will enjoy the beer you’re serving as well!
Share Your Thoughts!
💍🍺 Planning your big day? Tell us in the comments which beer style you’d serve at your wedding!
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