Community› Wedding Discussion Boards› Wedding Reception Forum
Wedding Reception Forum
New Discussion

BEER & WINE help me choose!!! :)

feinwedding2017feinwedding2017 member
in Wedding Reception Forum
Hi everyone,

im getting married this September 23rd, on Whidbey Island (Seattle area). My fiancé and I are trying to pick out beer and wine for the reception (cocktail hour will have 2 sig. cocktails). Were thinking 3 beers and 3 wines. For wines we want a red, white, and sparkling rose (no champs), and for beer, a regular, a lighter option, and a seasonal. I'd love any suggestions! We're not really drinkers. I've done some research and came up with Allagash white, ballast point sculpin ipa, and victory brewing summer love. Does anyone have thoughts on that trio? We are wondering if we need to sub one of those out for a domestic light beer. 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! 

Morgan
Report Reply to Post

Re: BEER & WINE help me choose!!! :)

  • MandyMostMandyMost member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    I think 3 beers and 3 wines is probably plenty. We did something similar at my wedding.

    We did opt for a local light beer--I think we did Miller Light or Bud Light or something like that. But that was a "know your crowd" thing for us. 

    For wine, we did a Sauvignon Blanc for the white, since that's the go-to for all of my friends when we buy a bottle of white. Lots of places do a Chardonnay as the default white wine, but Chardonnay is not as popular with younger crowds typically. I think a Pinot Noir or a Malbec for the red, I don't remember. And we did a prosecco. If you're not doing any cocktails, you may want to do a sweet wine of some kind to accommodate people who don't normally drink beer or wine, like a moscato, or make it a sweet sparkling rose. 
    Report Reply
  • cupcait927cupcait927 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited August 2017
    I love love love your choice of beers, but I do think you should sub one out for a domestic light beer. I'd take out the Allagash White but that's just me - I'm not fan of Belgian wheat beers - and replace it with a Bud Light or Miller Light. I'm a self-described beer snob but do realize that there are lots of people who don't like craft beer and want to keep it simple.

    I also agree with @MandyMost on the white wine. I love Chardonnay but a lot of younger people don't. I'd go with a Riesling, Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio. 
    Report Reply
  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    I always suggest a domestic light beer.    I work at a high end club.  These people have their own private planes.  They can afford anything they want and yet domestic light beers are the most popular choice.  When I lived in the islands it was the same thing.   

    I do not get the appeal of domestic light beers.  Never touch them myself, but I can't deny their popularity.   Had Bud Light as one of the options at my own wedding.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
    Report Reply
  • southernbelle0915southernbelle0915 mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    Red: a local or California pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon
    White: a local or California sauvignon blanc (or pinot gris) 
    Rose: I don't know roses so can't help here

    Beer:
    1) bud light or labbatt light
    2) a local medium bodied wheat beer (go to a couple breweries and find one you like!)
    3) a local pumpkin or octoberfest-ish beer (again, go to some breweries)

    I'm not familiar with Seattle breweries, so couldn't give exact recommendations, but IMO it's always nice to support local businesses. 

    Also, If you're going to serve signature cocktails during cocktail hour, you shouldn't stop serving them for the duration of the reception. Many people will be confused by this and not want to switch from mixed drinks to wine or beer. Either offer them for the whole time or don't offer them at all and keep it simple.
    *********************************************************************************

    image
    Report Reply
  • ILoveBeachMusicILoveBeachMusic member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    cupcait927 said:
    I love love love your choice of beers, but I do think you should sub one out for a domestic light beer. I'd take out the Allagash White but that's just me - I'm not fan of Belgian wheat beers - and replace it with a Bud Light or Miller Light. I'm a self-described beer snob but do realize that there are lots of people who don't like craft beer and want to keep it simple.

    I also agree with @MandyMost on the white wine. I love Chardonnay but a lot of younger people don't. I'd go with a Riesling, Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio. 
    I wouldn't go with a Riesling unless it is a dry one if that is the only white being offered. I know very few people who like sweet white wine. 
    Report Reply
  • cupcait927cupcait927 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    ILoveBeachMusic said:
    cupcait927 said:
    I love love love your choice of beers, but I do think you should sub one out for a domestic light beer. I'd take out the Allagash White but that's just me - I'm not fan of Belgian wheat beers - and replace it with a Bud Light or Miller Light. I'm a self-described beer snob but do realize that there are lots of people who don't like craft beer and want to keep it simple.

    I also agree with @MandyMost on the white wine. I love Chardonnay but a lot of younger people don't. I'd go with a Riesling, Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio. 
    I wouldn't go with a Riesling unless it is a dry one if that is the only white being offered. I know very few people who like sweet white wine. 
    I live in wine country and our thing is Riesling - there plenty of sweet ones and equally as many dry. Shockingly enough though, the most popular wine at my wedding was a sweet loganberry wine that I had hesitated even offering because I didn't think anyone would like it. 
    Report Reply
  • ILoveBeachMusicILoveBeachMusic member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    cupcait927 said:
    ILoveBeachMusic said:
    cupcait927 said:
    I love love love your choice of beers, but I do think you should sub one out for a domestic light beer. I'd take out the Allagash White but that's just me - I'm not fan of Belgian wheat beers - and replace it with a Bud Light or Miller Light. I'm a self-described beer snob but do realize that there are lots of people who don't like craft beer and want to keep it simple.

    I also agree with @MandyMost on the white wine. I love Chardonnay but a lot of younger people don't. I'd go with a Riesling, Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio. 
    I wouldn't go with a Riesling unless it is a dry one if that is the only white being offered. I know very few people who like sweet white wine. 
    I live in wine country and our thing is Riesling - there plenty of sweet ones and equally as many dry. Shockingly enough though, the most popular wine at my wedding was a sweet loganberry wine that I had hesitated even offering because I didn't think anyone would like it. 
    I guess it is a know your crowd sort of thing then. 
    Report Reply
  • lovesclimbinglovesclimbing member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    I don't like a lot of alcohol. I like some cocktails like margaritas. I'll drink red wine sometimes, but I prefer sweet wines like moscato and Zinfandel. I don't like beer. If there was no sweet wine, I'd maybe have a little bit of red, but not much. However, I'd also be just as happy with water. 
    Report Reply
  • cupcait927cupcait927 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    ILoveBeachMusic said:
    cupcait927 said:
    ILoveBeachMusic said:
    cupcait927 said:
    I love love love your choice of beers, but I do think you should sub one out for a domestic light beer. I'd take out the Allagash White but that's just me - I'm not fan of Belgian wheat beers - and replace it with a Bud Light or Miller Light. I'm a self-described beer snob but do realize that there are lots of people who don't like craft beer and want to keep it simple.

    I also agree with @MandyMost on the white wine. I love Chardonnay but a lot of younger people don't. I'd go with a Riesling, Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio. 
    I wouldn't go with a Riesling unless it is a dry one if that is the only white being offered. I know very few people who like sweet white wine. 
    I live in wine country and our thing is Riesling - there plenty of sweet ones and equally as many dry. Shockingly enough though, the most popular wine at my wedding was a sweet loganberry wine that I had hesitated even offering because I didn't think anyone would like it. 
    I guess it is a know your crowd sort of thing then. 
    But that's the thing - I thought I knew my crowd and they surprised me. I do agree with you that if you only have one white that's being offered, it should be dry. I default to Riesling because it's what the Finger Lakes area is known for so it's usually the go-to wine at events, and it's usually dry.
    Report Reply
  • ahoyweddingahoywedding member
    First Comment First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its
    Your beer options sound great (I love love IPAs), but IPAs are kind of polarizing. I would also suggest checking out local breweries, and see what their fall offerings are. Ditto the suggestion for some kind of domestic light beer (Miller Lite, Bud Light, Coors Light). I never drink them, but yep, the Coors Light was almost gone at our wedding!

    For the wine, Pinot Noir is a pretty standard red offering (I don't drink red, but I think that's one of the options we had). Pinot Grigio is a pretty basic white option and generally agreeable. I love the idea of a sparking rose or prosecco, but if you're unsure your guests would drink those, you could add a hard cider for people who don't drink beer.
    Report Reply
  • cupcait927cupcait927 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    @ahoywedding Cider is a great idea! I keep forgetting how popular it's becoming. I also agree with the PPs that suggested a fall beer. I would drink pumpkin beers all night long at a wedding.
    Report Reply
  • Knottie1452989905Knottie1452989905 member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Seattle resident here.  Seattle breweries all tend to have a lot of hoppy beers. Elysian, Fremont, Pyramid, and Georgetown are among the most well known of the local places.  If your guests aren't an IPA kind of crowd, Alaskan has a lot of good lighter options and is very popular around here.
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards