Black Friday Beer Tasting

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

On Black Friday, the Club organized a beer tasting for its members. The idea was to introduce members to a wide variety of beers which ranged from IPAs to Stouts to Porters to Flanders Red Ales. Members were each given a small booklet upon their arrival, which consisted of information on each beer, its ABV, its IBU, style of beer and a little history about it. For the first hour, the event comprised of one VIP draft beer selection: Duchesse de Bourgogne. And three draft imports: St. Bernardus Abt 12, Le Chuff, and Old Rasputin Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout. For the rest of the evening, members were introduced to 6 bottled beers: Weihenstephaner Hefe-Weissier; Stone Arrogant Bastard; Bell's Porter; Bell's Expedition Stout; Stone IPA; Terrapin Hopsecutioner.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

All the beers featured this evening were rated at least 95 points on "Beer Advocate" and "Ratebeer." Their reaction was very fulfilling, and they had a wonderful time with their fellow members tasting and discussing beers throughout the evening. Members said the best part about the evening was getting to learn about a lot of beers which they have never tried, all this while enjoying each other's company. The event was a great success, as eight of the ten featured beers were requested to be on the A la Carte Beer List.