Serving Craft Beer At Your Wedding Reception? Here’s What You Need To Know!

In case you are wondering, there are three things that all great wedding receptions have in common:

1. Outstanding food (not the typical dry chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a roll)
2. A master of ceremonies that can manage the flow of the evening
3. Top notch beer

As someone who has been a DJ for the last ten years and attended over 200 wedding receptions, there are a few receptions that stand out among the rest. The ones that stand out had a combination of the three factors above – Food, Music, and Booze (I mean doesn’t that sound like a good time).

Now we are here on IndianaOnTap.com, so naturally I’m going to focus on the drink side of things (and beers from Indiana on that note). Think of me as your personal sommelier (but with beer, not wine).

There are a few basic guidelines that we have to set upfront before we get into the recommendations.

1. As much as I hate to even write down these words, you need to consider those people whose taste buds have not yet earned their craft beer merit badge. In plain words, you will need to carry some sort of light beer for those people who will drink nothing else (you know that uncle that has a weird relationship with his Miller Lite).
2. The following recommendations can shift based upon your location in (or out) of the state. This is why I am going to break it down by style/type and by specific recommendations.
3. As you most likely know, a wedding is your celebration; however there is a catch, you need to make sure you take in the preferences of your guests into consideration. I can understand that you love barleywines, but that’s not going to be friendly to your budget or your guests who don’t like that style.

Now for the recommendations:

Wheats or Cream Ales
Upland Wheat - Upland Brewing 
Sunlight Cream - Sun King 
Cream and Punishment - Books and Brews 
Two Lucy’s Blackberry Wheat or Snow Bunny Blonde - Thr3e Wise Men 

IPAs
Alpha King - Three Floyds 
DFG IPA - Bier Brewery 
Hop For Teacher - Fountain Square Brewing 

Browns, Scotch Ales, Porters, and Stouts
Dorian - Scarlet Lane 
Wee Mac - Sun King 
Mr. Brown - People’s 
Busted Knuckle - Quaff On!

My perfect line-up (and what was actually served at my wedding):
Cream Ale: Books and Brews Cream and Punishment 
IPAs: Triton Rail Splitter 
Scotch Ale: Sun King Wee Mac 

Well that’s isn’t 100% true… I did drink a Hop For Teacher as I removed the garter from my wife as the song Hot for Teacher played (I have a weird sense of humor).

Now I have to ask… What is your perfect wedding line-up?