Alcohol variety

entropicbeauty

Excuse the long list, but I need some opinions.

FI and I got into a fight yesterday about the kinds of beer to get for the wedding. We were fortunate enough to find a venue that allows us to bring in our own alcohol and I guess we had different ideas of what that would mean. I thought "Yay, we can have a couple of cool varieties of beer!" and I guess he took it to mean "I'm going to buy every single kind of beer I can get my hands on and only offer a few bottles of each!". 

I'm thinking it's incredibly rude to only have 6 bottles of a certain kind of beverage, because then not every guest would have the opportunity to have one if they wanted it.

Here is the list he compiled. We need at least 300 bottles/cans of beer (based on some online estimator I found and knowing our guests). My question is...should I just drop this and let him get whatever the heck he wants? Or should he be willing to compromise with me and narrow down this list so we can offer more of each kind of beer that we ultimately select.

Domestic (North American) Beer
24 Bud 

24 Bud Light

12 BL Lime

24 Miller 64

12 Miller Light

12 Miller High Life

12 Miller Genuine Draft

12 PBR Bottles 

12 Coors Original bottles

12 Coors Light

12 Molson bottles

24 Labatt Blue

12 Corona 

196 Bottles 

Import (Europe) Beer

24 Stella Artois

24 Heineken

Craft Beer

24 pack Sam Adams

18 Pack Costco 

Michigan Beer

Oberon mini-keg

18 Bell's Lager of the Lakes

6 Founder's Dirty Bastard 

6 Founder's Centennial IPA

6 New Holland Full Circle 

2 Growler of Motor City Brewing Nut Brown

2 Growler other MCBW beer

4 Brewery Viviant IPA

8 Brewery Viviant Farm Hand

jessicabessica

I would narrow it down as well, and I like Duds' suggestion for kinds.  How many guests are you having? 

FWIW, some people might think it's tacky to serve Kirkland-brand beer at a wedding reception.  I was just at a wedding where the bride told me they went with Sam Adams instead of Kirkland because the MOB insisted.

midgetthemighty

Yes, that is WAY too much variety. I like Dud's suggestion. Go to him with that discuss and if he's okay with that, let him pick his favorites. We only had bud light and miller light at ours and everyone was happy.

aragx6

I'm completely with you. Offering a bunch of different beers will be confusing, unnecessary and more expensive.

entropicbeauty

That is what I'm trying to tell him, he refuses to listen!

Any suggestions on how I could word it better than just telling him I think it's stupid? (which I know isn't making my point clear and will ultimately just lead to a fight)

I begged him to even just poll his friends on what they thought of that list for an event and he won't do that. I understand his love for beer and he wants to share "great beer" with everyone, but logistically it's just a friggin' nightmare for a wedding.

gurrlballa10

That list definitely needs to be narrowed down.  I like Duds suggestion, but that's because thats how we did it.

We had Miller Lite, Bud Lite, Heineken, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute.   Plenty of choices for guests, but not so overwhelming that they stand at the bar for 10 minutes trying to decide.

calixtine

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:3e153664-098d-4785-a4c4-a98cbdf52abe">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]That is what I'm trying to tell him, he refuses to listen! Any suggestions on how I could word it better than just telling him I think it's stupid? (which I know isn't making my point clear and will ultimately just lead to a fight) I begged him to even just poll his friends on what they thought of that list for an event and he won't do that. I understand his love for beer and he wants to share "great beer" with everyone, but logistically it's just a friggin' nightmare for a wedding.
Posted by entropicbeauty[/QUOTE]

I think my biggest argument would be that if I'm a guest at a wedding and my options are beer A and beer B, I'll pick one or the other and be perfectly content.  But if I have beer a-z and beer Z is "my" brand, then I'll go with that and then be irritated when the bar runs out after I've had one or two beers.  Then drinking beer A or B (which is what you will end up have plenty of) will be unsatisfying.  There is no way your FI will be able to provide all the beers in the quantity needed so I would go with PP suggestion and narrow it down.

MyUserName1

We had six kinds of awesome beer.  More than that is just nuts.

We just made sure to  pick some craft brews that would appeal to non-craft brew drinkers (had a pale ale, a belgian wit and a hefeweizen- all very easy to drink beers)

frantastic12

I would narrow it waaaay down.  You know your guests the best.  I would select what you see the most often when you hang out with friends/family; maybe the 4 most popular.  For us, that's Bud Light & Miller Lite, and we'll probably do a few of Mich Ultra and maybe Heiniken. 

Also, that many different types will likely be a nightmare for your bartenders.  It would be very difficult to keep track of what's left, and they'd likely spend a lot of time running back and forth, trying to dig out one bottle of craft beer amongst 25 other varieties.  And how would you let people know what's available?  If I'm at a wedding with an open bar and I don't know what the beer options are, I'll probably just order a Bud Light/Miller Light, or ask the bartender what's available--and I don't see how a bartender would be able to quickly run down a list of 25 different beers.

With all the varieties, people will likely only have a couple of their most preferred variety before it's out and they need to pick something else. I'd rather drink the same thing the whole night that switching every time I go to the bar. 

MelissaH21

I agree, you need to narrow it way down.  The vineyard we are using even suggested narrowing down beer and wine.  That way, your bar line moves quickly.  That's all FI needed to hear.  The more options, the more time people are going to spend at the bar when really we just want the line to keep moving. 

Meegles4

Your FI needs to realize that catering does not equal bar. As in, your wedding isn't at Foran's (a local bar with an extensive beer list for the non-Detroiters). It's a catered affair and as such, you don't have the flexibility that true bars have as far as keeping a variety of things on hand. You have to narrow things down.

Maybe also mention how this applies to your food menu. You likely couldn't have 50 different foods you love, you had to narrow it down to a few, right? It's the same with beverages. And, ask him how he'd feel if he were the 7th person trying to order one of the MCBW beers? Quantity trumps quality/variety in this situation.

Also, don't know if you were familiar with the Tashmoo pop-up biergarten in Detroit. If so, that's another example to give him. That was a special weekend-only event, and they didn't offer a ton of beers. It was like 5. And that's because it was about beering the masses for a short period of time. Shorter beer list is easier to manage for both guests and workers.

I think it's a great idea to poll a group. Perhaps the bridal party or a small group of close friends. Tell them you need to select 1-2 domestics, 1-2 imports, and 1-2 MI beers. Give them this list and ask which they'd prefer. Then your FI doesn't have to do the agonizing task of narrowing things down himself. If you go this route, I'd keep the polling group small -- like 5 or 10 people max. Then go with what the majority says.

Avion22

We had three kinds of beer.  Miller Lite (or maybe it was Coors Lite or Bud Lite? not sure), Shock Top, and Sam Adams.  

What you listed is (as you know) WAY too many varieties, for all of the reasons that others have listed.  It's too confusing and complicated.   Pick 3 or 4 kinds of commonly liked beers (hint: if they sell it at Sams Club, it's commonly liked), and then ONE kind of craft beer (your absolute favorite).  Make sure that among those varieties, you have a mix of domestic and imported, as well as a mix of ales, lagers, stouts, etc.   

runpipparun

I could see some hysterically funny situations arising from this, though. Like someone trying to order the Growler of Motor City Brewing Nut Brown, being told that they were out, and then seeing somebody else walk by double fisting BOTH bottles of it. Ha!

Meegles4

Another thought...would it be easier to do kegs of this stuff than a mix of bottles & growlers? Would make it easier on the bartenders, too.

entropicbeauty

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:6016bea1-79cb-405b-a511-6fe242356096">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]Another thought...would it be easier to do kegs of this stuff than a mix of bottles & growlers? Would make it easier on the bartenders, too.
Posted by Meegles4[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>I like this idea of kegs, FI is against it though because if there's leftovers we can't really "take them home" per se.</div><div>
</div><div>Love the suggestions, I think I'm just going to have him read this thread over. All the points made were valid and well articulated.</div><div>
</div><div>And the scenario of people double fisting the "good" beer would totally happen with our group of friends, I could see them sitting at the bar knocking back beers till all the "good" ones were gone - it would turn into such a mess.

</div>

runpipparun

Wait, growlers like growlers? For some reason I thought it was an oddly named beer. Growlers at a wedding seem odd. It's a wedding, not a beer tasting room.

PJSPJS

It's a wedding reception, not a beer fest.

Callmefia

Let me preface this with the fact that I am NOT a beer drinker. But WTF on PBR? Isn't that like college crap/cheap beer?

entropicbeauty

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:bb1adf2e-4fec-4eab-9f35-38c46853f68b">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]Let me preface this with the fact that I am NOT a beer drinker. But WTF on PBR? Isn't that like college crap/cheap beer?
Posted by Callmefia[/QUOTE]

<div>You're not wrong....(and trust me when I say that would be the first beer I want cut from the list altogether)</div>

runpipparun

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:bb1adf2e-4fec-4eab-9f35-38c46853f68b">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]Let me preface this with the fact that I am NOT a beer drinker. But WTF on PBR? Isn't that like college crap/cheap beer?
Posted by Callmefia[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>No, no, no. It's a <em>hipster</em> beer. One of the last/worst dates I went on before FI, this guy I met at a Cajun dance event asked if I'd like to go to a bar. It was a smoky <em>hipster</em> bar, with a ridiculously LOUD band. Couldn't hear myself think. I stuck out like a sore thumb. He bought me a PBR (woah, big spender). I bought the next round, got myself something with taste, and bought him another can of PBR. He yelled in my ear that I should stay at his place instead of driving home. Then he left me to go chat with some girls he knew. He told me to "stay put." I left 30 seconds later. Dude, it takes more than flannel and skinny jeans to take me home.

</div>

vantica

I also agree that the list should be cut.  If nothing else but because guests will often pick one kind and want to stick with it, and a lot of people just like domestic beer, like bud.  (Ick....haha.)  So if 10 people decide to have the same beer and have 2 and then find out it's gone?  And then find out the bud light and coors light is gone as well?  I would find it irritating as a guest.  (I'd deal with it, but still be irritated. Lol.)

RussoWill

I would print out part of this thread for FI to see.  At a bar, variety is a good thing, but at a wedding, you will be running out of things.  We have a tone of beer connoisseur friends, and they were satisfied with 5 choices.  Also, I don't think anyone is really going ot miss the PBR

kaos16

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:bb1adf2e-4fec-4eab-9f35-38c46853f68b">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]Let me preface this with the fact that I am NOT a beer drinker. But WTF on PBR? Isn't that like college crap/cheap beer?
Posted by Callmefia[/QUOTE]

I love PBR, it's my favorite!  It's dirt cheap.  More importantly, I actually like the taste of it and it reminds me of good memories!

runpipparun

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:7719ab0e-46cc-4bdb-956c-c2fd74a43018">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Alcohol variety : I think it was a cheap beer before it was a "hipster" beer. And I'm curious where you are in AR.
Posted by rachers1017[/QUOTE]

<div>Maybe, but now it's a <em>hipster</em> beer, to be drunk by hipsters with scraper bikes reading Bukowski in Dolores Park. (I used to live in the Bay Area, *sigh*)</div><div>
</div><div>Are there hipsters in parts of AR other than NWA?</div><div>
</div><div>Edited because I spelled like an Arkansan. Yee-haw.</div>

angryangry

H loves beer, and it took us forever to narrow it down to the following:

Lagunitas IPA

Sam Summer Ale

Sierra Nevada Stout

Anchor Steam Ale

We did those, and then just got sufficient quantities of all 4. Everyone seemed very pleased, including the serious beer drinkers. 

amberlynncolvin

I'm not a fan of a million different varieties, but I'm also big on compromise.  If this is something that he really wants and you guys have the budget for it, I say let him have it; it's his wedding, too. If that's not possible, I would write down the cost of having so many different kinds of beer, and then calculate how much it would cost to only do a few kinds or have kegs.  Men seem to respond better to actual numbers put right under thier noses. That way he can see exactly what you're talking about when you say it's more expensive. If all else fails, I would let it go.  It's just beer. 

lahlah12bk

Here's an idea: Since he wants to introduce folks to new beers, you should encourage him to grab some of these brews and a couple of buddies or groomsmen and narrow it down with a taste off. The buddies will likely talk up the winning picks at your wedding, so people will be more likely to try them. MY dad usually does this with wine the week before thanksgiving- we cover up the labels and vote on our favorites. It's super fun!

entropicbeauty

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_alcohol-variety?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0220d363-ed60-46a0-9f5f-f31577ed87acPost:eea28c59-058b-459b-8c8d-6ad9621948d7">Re: Alcohol variety</a>:
[QUOTE]Here's an idea: Since he wants to introduce folks to new beers, you should encourage him to grab some of these brews and a couple of buddies or groomsmen and narrow it down with a taste off. The buddies will likely talk up the winning picks at your wedding, so people will be more likely to try them. MY dad usually does this with wine the week before thanksgiving- we cover up the labels and vote on our favorites. It's super fun!
Posted by lahlah12bk[/QUOTE]

<div>Love this idea!</div><div>
</div><div>I managed to get him to cut the list in half, maybe if I can push it a little further this would be a good suggestion (at least now he agrees that only providing a 6-pack is silly).</div>