Hey guys I have been a craft man for a while now (4 years), well anyway my Fraternity is having a beer tasting party this upcoming Saturday. Well most of these guys don't drink many crafts but do have favorites that are not super common macro beers (like blue moon, and such). What do you guys think I should ease them in with, I am mainly a IPA and Imperial IPA guy so most of mine can get strong. I was thinking something like a local brewery which produces a pretty good IPA and just get a growler of it so they can try or maybe a six pack. Give me a suggestion not to limited because I have a place I get bombers and micros at (stone, clown shoes, etc..).
need to know the region you live in so i can make better suggestions.
edit: saw GA in your profile. Try to get hold of a few of these...
liefman's cuvee brut - sour ale aged on cherries. a bit sweeter than most sour style beers, a great start. the cherries are very pronounced, and the sour is a nice addition to the flavors, rather than a driving force.
oskar blue's ten fidy - imperial stout that comes in cans, but don't let that fool you vs it's quality. dark and delicious, but 10.5% abv. expect some to turn it down as too dark, but the dark chocolate and coffee lovers with adapted tastes will latch on.
xocoveza by stone brewing - provided you can still find it, this is one to even invest in. it's the standout stout of the year in my mind. it grew from a home brewery project at stone brewing. it's a milk stout that's not too dark with cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate. think mexican hot chocolate.z
you're quite close to cigar city, but i'm not sure of their distribution. you can't go wrong with Jai Alai
or Invasion if you're worried about blowing people out from too much hop.
Well if you're in Georgia, go for anything from the brewery SweetWater. They have an amazing IPA.
Also, if you can find it, try "Titan IPA" from The Great Divide brewery.