<p>Portland, ME is another micro-brew heaven. I can’t imagine drinking Bud and Coors around here. 
We also have a number of really outstanding artisinal bakers. There must be something about port cities and yeast. :)</p>
<p>My feeling is this…there are beer lovers who like micro-brews and craft beers that like to sample …then there are those who like the comfortable stand by beers. luckily , not all beer drinkers are artsy snobs 
so why not have some on hand for the less than adventurous ?</p>
<p>Ca here and I can’t imagine a party with Bud or Coors. H and his friend are beer drinkers and for a larger party go to Costco or Rite Aid and buy whatever is on sale. In our area it is usually something from mexico. Costco has a Dos Equies (I know I am spelling this wrong)variety box. Also Pacifico is popular. If the party is smaller they will go for a few six packs of a micro brew from Oregon or Washington. H also likes Becks.
For a big party I would not spend $15 a bottle. But I also don’t know what you have to spend for wine in different states. Go to Trader Joe’s or Costco and bring home several bottles in your price range and have a taste test.
The Costco premade margaritas are good. Not the mix but the one that already includes the alcohol. Mix it with some Pom juice. If you want it stronger add some fresh lime and more tequila.</p>
<p>“As for beer, unless these are serious beer drinkers, a dozen bottles should do it.”</p>
<p>I’d get a LOT more than that. Buy a wide variety of beer by the 12-pack, and always get bottles instead of cans. Beer drinkers will appreciate it if you skip the usual Bud and Miller products, and get a wide range (no more than a 12-pack of one type). Some famous premium foreign brands will be appreciated (St. Pauli Girl, Grolsch, Guinness, etc.) , as well as some American microbeers. Just about every country makes beer, so a good beer store will also have some from unusual places…some from one of them might be good too. </p>
<p>Also, there are decent bottles of wine to be had for under 10 bucks. Again, I’d get a variety with no more than 1 bottle of each brand/type. Also might want to try 1 bottle of several types of sherry (ranging from dry to sweet). Dry “fino” sherry has to be the most underappreciated drink on earth.</p>
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<p>Ditto for Portland, OR and Seattle, WA! I think you are onto something here, Consolation! Serving Coors or Bud Light at parties around here is just plain bad taste, but Black Butte, Red Hook Blonde or Red Menace might be OK. </p>
<p>Yellow Tail makes great party wines. Costco carries 1.5L bottles of Yellow Tail Shiraz and Chardonnay for under $10.</p>
<p>Not just port towns, unless you count Mississippi River ports. Here in Iowa we have access to a lot of Wisconsin breweries and new micro-brewries. Nobody serves Bud, Miller or Coors. If you can find them the whole line of beers out of the Point Brewery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin are excellent and very good value.</p>
<p>To respond publicly to a couple of pm’s:
In Ohio if a host provides free alcohol to (adult)guests then he is responsible for any accidents that may occur due to a boozed up guests. Further, in Ohio, a residential host cannot sell booze to get around the free alcohol law. One must have a state license to sell alcohol. Hiring a tender to serve booze might help reduce liklihood of an obviously overserved guest, but it does not affect the host’s legal liability. Sadly, the idea that an adult should know when they’ve had enough, or that adults are responsible for themselves does not apply in Ohio. Here, the best way to be certain to be without legal liability is to provide mixers, foods, ice, glasses, music, all the extras but ask guests to bring their own hooch. Of course laws in other states may vary. And different hosts feel comfortable with different amounts of risk.
Typically there is no problem legally because typically there are no accidents. But if there were, a friend, acquaintance, or an innocent party might very well want to shift the blame to the host.</p>
<p>younghoss, unless the law has changed recently in Ohio, there is no liability for injuries to third parties for serving alcohol to adults in a social setting. One of the cases commonly used to support that decision is actually an Ohio case - the Settlemyer case. Perhaps it has been overturned since I did research in this area but I’d be surprised. The decision was that this type of liability is best addressed in the legislature. There is Ohio statutory liability for serving alcohol to a minor, however. </p>
<p>In the vast majority of states, there is no liability for serving to adults. Obviously, common law negligence cases can change that so there are some cases that impose liability if a host serves to a knowingly intoxicated guest. </p>
<p>Clearly, a host should be aware of guests who are intoxicated and will be driving. Using a bartender, speaking to each guest as they leave and not serving within an hour of the end of the party will all help mitigate liability.</p>
<p>Good to know how tacky we are for offering Budweiser and the like at our gatherings…thanks to all who pointed that out</p>
<p>I didnt call anyone names- I was merely pointing out that my own provincialism, hasn’t had a coors beer since I was about 16- We typically drank Rainier or Lucky. In our region, we have seen a great many " micro- breweries", ( I think in Portland, maybe even more than in Seattle), & more domestic vineyards. With recent restructuring in the laws, we even are starting to see micro-distillieries & * nano-breweries<a href=“smaller%20than%20micro”>/i</a>[Northwest</a> Peaks Brewery](<a href=“nwpeaksbrewery.com”>http://www.nwpeaksbrewery.com/)</p>
<p>I don’t drink a * a lot* of beer, sometimes when I go out for a hamburger or fish & chips, or if I am serving tacos & enchiladas.</p>
<p>But it does seem to be a pretty popular trend across the country, and even though Seattle has lots of micro-mega breweries, we also get all kinds of European beer & those from the east coast, like Dogfish Head in Delaware at my neighborhood grocery.
( See I told you I was spoiled- I also get [Ciao</a> Bella Gelato](<a href=“http://www.ciaobellagelato.com/]Ciao”>http://www.ciaobellagelato.com/), it isn’t my fault my taste buds are so picky! ;)</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to offend anyone, the OP did ask for suggestions & if that is an honest question, I don’t think it is appropriate to give anything but an honest answer. I don’t couch my responses depending on what I think someone wants to hear- what’s the help in that?</p>
<p>But be sure to offer lots of non alcoholic beverages- & bringing out the tea, coffee, is also a way to indicate that the party is winding down.
:)</p>
<p>"Good to know how tacky we are for offering Budweiser and the like at our gatherings…thanks to all who pointed that out "</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with Bud, etc. I’ve been keeping the Pabst company in business for years…it’s just that for a special occasion I’ve noticed people enjoy testing out beers they don’t ordinarily buy for their own home consumption.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation for red wines from Spain. There are several of good quality that are relatively inexpensive.</p>
<p>As for beer, there are some old standbyes that will do well for a party. I recently bought a dirt cheap six-pack of Old Milwaukee with the intent of using it for batter for a fish fry. Well of course I took a couple of swallows while making my batter. I was prepared to be indifferent but the stuff was actually fairly tasty. Typically I enjoy drinking imported beers or microbrews, which can be pricey but I’d have no problem serving Old Milwaukee alongside major American brews like Coors or Miller. If you want to be unique, serve a variety including Red Stripe from Jamaica, Mondelo from Mexico, Presidente from the D.R. and Moretti from Italy. Those tasty brands won’t break the bank and won’t leave casual beer drinkers gaging.</p>
<p>No problem emeraldkitty…I just found several of the comments about the some of the beer we serve at our social gatherings pretentious , haughty and sort if insulting.
Nothing I haven’t seen here on CC before, I just don’t expect in here in the Parent Cafe
;)</p>
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<p>lol…you better hope that no more than 2 out of the 40 drink beer. You will probably need much much more…at least 3 cases. Go with Heineken and Sam Adams or Sam Adams lite.</p>
<p>*
No problem emeraldkitty…I just found several of the comments about the some of the beer we serve at our social gatherings pretentious , haughty and sort if insulting.*</p>
<p>Thats why I didn’t really offer many wine suggestions- I don’t think I drink it enough, except to know if I like it or not.
I do like some local wines- which are probably on the sweet side- Siegerrebe & Madeleine Angevine, but aside from buying a couple bottles at the grocery- I think they are more a " wine shop" thing & more expensive than I would buy for an open house.</p>
<p>Otherwise it depends on what I am cooking & what is on sale. For the likes of me, just a decent chardonnay and a red would do.
I will also say though- while I appreciate someone having alcohol available( some days, more than others )- I really don’t expect it & I actually would think more negatively about the host if they didn’t offer any non-alcoholic beverages at all, rather than if they didn’t offer any liquor.</p>
<p>Of course I am also used to our friends/relatives who for religious or health reasons, not only don’t offer alcohol, they don’t offer anything with caffeine! ( including plain tea) That takes some getting used to. ( I just keep a flask of Irish Coffee under the drivers seat…jk)</p>
<p>Apologies for my post that was intended to be tongue-in-cheek ridicule of us, PNW microbrew snobs ("goodness, they served Red Hook at their party - how tacky!). It was never meant as an insult or to imply that anyone who drinks Bud has no class!</p>
<p>Personally, I tend to fret and fuss over what to serve to my guests if I’m hosting a party, but when I visit friends, I’m there to have fun and socialize with them, not to critique their beer selections or food. Even if the only wine they serve is a chardonnay (which I do not like), I will still pour a glass and just walk around with it chit-chatting with people. I’m sure the majority of the invitees will have no problem with whatever OP’s friend chooses to serve!</p>
<p>I also apologize for any beer snobbery. Like Emeraldkity we don’t drink much wine. My H is the sort who is happy with the 8 dollar bottle of wine.
I did notice when we were in the south young men were drinking Pabst. I hadn’t seen Pabst served anywhere in years. Pabst was something my Dad and his fellow ironworkers drank.
I think different regions have their local flavor. Which is what makes traveling so much fun.</p>
<p>I’m an artsy snob beer drinker so we usually have local craft beers, plus some Miller lites for those who want beer with no flavor.</p>
<p>For wine we often have Yellowtail chardonnay because it is inexpensive. My brother had Clearwater riesling at his New Year’s Eve party. It’s light and fruity not too sweet. I’ll generally have some merlot because it’s hard to go wrong with them and then some other varieties. It really depends on your budget. </p>
<p>I think having ONE festive cocktail or punch is fun and can be very cost effective. For a winter party we make Gluehwein (German mulled wine) Typical recipe: [Glühwein</a> - German Mulled Wine Recipe - Wine](<a href=“BellaOnline - The Voice of Women”>Glühwein - German Mulled Wine Recipe - Wine). People love it and it’s very easy. You can use really inexpensive jug wine. Other possibilities are sangria, or a kir (white wine and creme de cassis).</p>
<p>We don’t actually have to buy that much wine because so many of our friends will bring a bottle.</p>
<p>Lje - I think the point was, at a PARTY, it’s nice to serve something that is a bit special and out of the ordinary. For a non-drinker, that might mean Perrier or San Pelligrino water instead of just plain tap water. I am not a drinker, but if I were to serve alcohol for a nice event, I would get something that looked more interesting than Bud, Coors, Miller Light. Unless it was a backyard BBQ. But it sounded as though the people here were talking about nicer events than a backyard BBQ type.</p>
<p>Yes, Pizzagirl, I get that. I hosted 2 Christmas parties at my home this season, neither of which were backyard barbeques.
Not only did I offer standard domestic ( and yes, some are rather bland IMO ) beers ,but also nice imports and craft beers.
My guests seem to enjoy the choices offered as they are diverse in their tastes.
Same with wines…I cringe at the thought of drinking white zin or chardonnay because they are way to sweet for my taste, yet they are always the bottles used up first.
I have had non-alcoholic as well as gluten-free beers too ,if I know that I have guests that appreciate them</p>