In the two months before our wedding, my husband, Tim, and I brewed 30 gallons of beer for the reception. Six different styles, all kegged and ready for consumption by our 150 guests. How cool is that?We tried to make enough of a variety so that there was something for everyone. We had my brother, Ray, design logos and put together a menu for the beer serving station and all the tables in the reception hall. Here are the descriptions that Tim and I wrote for each homebrew:

Raspberry Wheat
This American style wheat beer has a prominent raspberry flavor and aroma. Smooth, sweet, and very low on bitterness – this one is a crowd pleaser!
OG: 1.048, 4.3% ABV, 12 IBU

Cascade Pale Ale
Brewed exclusively with Cascade hops, this American style pale ale is refreshingly hoppy, with a floral, citrus aroma. Clover honey makes this beer smooth, slightly sweet, and very drinkable.
OG: 1.050, 5.6% ABV, 30 IBU

ESB
Our ESB, or Extra Special Bitter, is an English style pale ale. Don’t let the name fool you – this session beer is actually quite mild in bitterness. English hops give this beer a pleasant floral aroma. The flavor is toasty and slightly sweet, with caramel and biscuit notes.
OG: 1.048, 5.1% ABV, 35 IBU

Belgian Trippel
This beer may look tame, but beneath the sunny, golden hue and the bright, citrus aroma lies some serious strength. This one is sweet, but has a notable alcohol warmth. Belgian yeast gives this beer a hint of banana aroma and flavor.
OG: 1.079, 8.1% ABV, 10 IBU

Foreign Extra Stout
Just as its appearance suggests, this beer is malty, roasty, and chocolatey. However, this style of stout is actually intended to be enjoyed in tropical climates. Smooth and refreshing, with a substantial alcohol kick, our Foreign Extra Stout will make you feel like you’re on the beach in Cancun…
OG: 1.074, 7.2% ABV, 30 IBU

Imperial IPA
Hop heads – this is the beer for you! A combination of four types of malt and seven hop varieties creates a complex interplay of flavors. The rich, caramel sweetness from the malt is balanced by the citrusy, floral bitterness of the hops. Top it off with 8.3% ABV, and you’ve got an India Pale Ale fit for a Czar!
OG: 1.079, 8.3% ABV, 93 IBU

To our delight, we got nothing but rave reviews. People were genuinely impressed! Sure, people liked the Razz and the Pale Ale, the ones we had pegged as surefire crowd pleasers. Slightly unexpected, though, was the fact that everyone destroyed the Trippel. Most surprisingly, people kept telling us how great the Imperial IPA was, even though we were sure most people wouldn’t be brave enough to try that one. Incidentally, our Foreign Extra Stout made an excellent pairing with our tiramisu-flavored wedding cake, which we discovered immediately after the honeymoon. That cake topper did not last long in our house, nor did the remainder of the Stout.

In our minds, the wedding was an opportunity for us to show off our product. Our reception was the perfect venue for us to begin advertising our brewery. We were looking at a room full of potential investors, all merrily drinking our beer and dancing their faces off to a swing band! We were quite pleased with the results.

Our friends and family have been telling us they want to invest in our brewery for a while now, though I’m not sure how many of them have actually meant it. Now when they tell us they want to invest, they include statements like, “You guys make really good stuff…” or “Honestly, you guys did a great job on the beer for the wedding.” In 10 years, we hope to have these same people knocking on our door with fist-fulls of money, ready and eager to jump into a mash tun with a shovel…

On a side note, we went to Cancun, Mexico for our honeymoon. There was not a single drop of Foreign Extra Stout to be found, only Dos Equis. We quickly discovered tequila.