30th Birthday Beer Tasting Party..

Wittlebuddy

Hi all. I haven't posted here in almost a year but know this board always has great ideas when it comes to food and party planning. I am hosting a 30th Birthday Beer Tasting party at the end of this month to celebrate my husbands birthday. I have been so busy lately that I haven't had the chance to start planning the menu or decorations. I plan on cooking all of the food for the party myself and am looking for menu options. Also, any decorating tips would be greatly appreciated. I plan to make Blue Moon cupcakes and Stout Cupcakes as a dessert, along with having a small birthday cake. Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

kipnus

Will this be indoors or outdoors? How many people? 

TarHeels&Rebels

Overall, are you thinking something more than a cookout? This really seems like a cookout kind of event, so that's what I'll put here. 

I think a sausage, cheese, pepperoncini, and pickles plate would be a great appetizer. I've never met a man who wasn't thrilled to see it. The local BBQ restaurants here dust everything with dry rub for a little extra flavor. Serve on a wooden cutting board for rustic-chic presentation. Fantastic with cold beer and great in the summer. There's also no prep work since the sausage is already cooked! Here's some random google image:

 

Do veggies with a cool dip for the more health conscious in the crowd.

Strawberry pretzel crostini is fantastic, but do NOT make it in advance. The strawberries get kinda gross if they sit more than an hour.

For mains, this grilled chicken is great. Pulled pork? Burgers? This is a great beef marinade.

And some sides off the top of my head:

Mexican bean salad

Corn salad

Grilled vegetables

iteachkids81

I also thought of pulled pork right away as a main meal- it's so easy to do in the crock pot and not heat the whole house up in the summer heat!

There are tons of recipes out there. I just buy my pork shoulder the day before. do a spice rub and leave it in a large plastic bowl wrapped in saran wrap in the fridge over night. Then cook it 8hrs on low in the crock pot the next day. 

to go with it you could do coleslaw, large potato rolls, potato salad, green salad, a fruit tray, you could also have cheese available since some people might want it on their sandwiches

DZKathryn

When we did our beer tasting party I made a couple different kinds of pretzels and had a selection of mustards and cheese sauce for dipping. People really enjoyed it.