What you can expect

• Unique sample forms
• New beers from craft breweries
• Perfectly suited for a tasting

Step-by-step plan for (special) beer tasting

Organizing a beer tasting is no easy task. So that's why the Bear growled this handy 7-step plan at us from his office. As good as we are, we share De Beer's tips so that you too can easily organize a successful beer tasting. This means you don't have to spend hours on preparation, but you and your friends can quickly do what is most fun: discover tasty new beers.

1. Determine your audience

Someone who once accidentally drank a beer in 1973 experiences beer in a completely different way than someone who drinks an Imperial Stout every day for breakfast. You tailor the beers for your beer tasting to these people (and everyone in between). So ask in advance which beers people already like and build on that, but don't shy away from your own gut feeling. Surprise your audience!

2. Select the right beers

Provide a pleasant mix between light and heavy beers, between blonde beauties and dark exciting beers and between sour and sweet beers. Of course, an occasional beer won't hurt, but do it in moderation. The surprise and discovery is what your beer tasting is all about.

3. Determine the order of your beers

A good rule of thumb is to start with low alcohol percentages and gradually build up to stronger beers. In terms of taste, first serve the subtler flavors (saison, wheat beer or Pils) and only then the more complex ones (stouts, IPAs and Porters). And unlike real life: first the sweet, then the bitter.

4. Ensure the right temperature

The drinking temperature has a lot to do with the taste of beer. Too cold will dull the taste and too hot will create an overly intense experience. Most brewers put the drinking temperature on the bottle, but if that is not the case, De Beer has this handy overview of drinking temperatures of beer let it be written. Easy rule: the more complex the beer, the higher the temperature.

5. Choose the right glasses

Beer glasses are the tools of your beer tasting. And good tools are half the battle. You don't hammer a nail into wood with a pair of pliers and you don't drink Imperial Stout from a lager glass. Make sure you have enough correct glasses. You can read which glasses go with which beer on our explanation page, which beer from which glass .

6. Eating and drinking in between

Chips and overly salty peanuts are fun for Aunt Leen's pub, but not for something serious like a beer tasting. The salt really kills your taste buds. You should not want to. Provide tasty cheese, sausage, nuts and/or dry toast. And drink plenty of water in between. You don't just do the latter for the taste. Do you go a step further and really look for food to go with the beer? Then take a look at our food pairing page for tips.

7. Take notes

Nothing more fun than a good discussion about the flavors of beer. How is the foam head? How much Van Dyck brown is really in the color? How is the aftertaste? Man! So much to say about beer that you can't stop talking about it. That is, if you can remember it all. And that's where our tasting note cards come into play. You can get it from us for free to order .