After hosting a tasting, I judge the success of the event on two criteria: how much fun was it? how much did we learn? Keep in mind that a lively, fun tasting where you only learn a little is much more valuable in the long run than an extremely enlightening evening that’s a terrible bore. Your pool of willing tasters will quickly dwindle if you’re hosting dull events. Running a memorable beer tasting isn’t difficult, but it does require some effort and forethought. If you have a particular concept or defined goal for the tasting, do some research on what you’re serving, pay attention to the details and keep the conversation engaged with the beer, you’ll get the most out of your efforts.
John Michael Verive, “How to Host a Home Beer Tasting Party”, Beer Paper LA 2:3 (July 2014), 15.