Beer Buying Guide For A 20-Person Party

Planning a party can be stressful, especially when it comes to figuring out how much alcohol to buy. The amount of beer you need for 20 guests depends on various factors, such as the duration of the party, the drinking preferences of your guests, and whether you will be serving other types of alcohol. A good rule of thumb is to expect one alcoholic beverage per guest per hour. For a four-hour party, you can estimate that each guest will consume around four drinks. If you assume that 40% of the drinks will be beer, that translates to 32 beers for 20 guests. However, it's always a good idea to buy a little extra to ensure you don't run out, and you can return any unopened bottles.

Beer drinkers:

If you know the number of guests who will be drinking beer, a good rule of thumb is to provide one beer per beer drinker per hour of the party. So, for 20 guests who will be drinking beer, and a party lasting 4 hours, you will need 80 beers.

If you don't know how many of your guests will be drinking beer, you can estimate that 40% of all drinks served will be beer. For a party of 20 guests lasting 4 hours, you will need 32 beers.

If you are serving beer alongside wine and spirits, you can estimate that 50% of your guests will drink wine, 25% beer, and 25% spirits. In this case, for a party of 20 guests, you will need 10 bottles of beer.

If you are only serving beer and wine, you can estimate that 60% of your guests will drink beer and 40% wine. In this case, for a party of 20 guests, you will need 12 bottles of beer.

For outdoor parties, or parties where guests will be dancing, you may want to add an extra drink per person to the calculation, to account for drinks that get misplaced or abandoned.

A standard keg contains 15.5 gallons of beer or 165 12-oz servings.

Wine drinkers:

If you're hosting a party with 20 guests, it's important to ensure you have enough drinks for everyone. A good rule of thumb is to plan for one drink per guest per hour. This means for a four-hour party with 20 guests, you will need 80 drinks in total.

Now, let's break this down for wine drinkers specifically. If you know the number of guests who will be drinking wine, a good estimate is that one 750ml bottle of wine provides five to six glasses. So, for 20 guests, you will need approximately 34-40 glasses of wine, which translates to around 7-8 bottles of wine.

However, if you don't know exactly how many guests will be drinking wine, you can make a general estimation. In this case, assume that wine will account for 60% of the remaining drinks after allocating 40% to beer. So, out of the 80 drinks, 40% will be beer, and the remaining 60% will be wine. This means you will need approximately 48 glasses of wine, or about 10 bottles of wine.

It's always a good idea to have a variety of wine options, such as red, white, and sparkling. Consider the type of event and the season when deciding on the breakdown of wine types. For example, at an indoor/fall, winter, or spring event, guests will likely drink more red wine, so you should plan for 50% red, 25% white, and 25% sparkling. On the other hand, for an outdoor/summer event, you can split the bottles evenly between red, white, and sparkling.

Don't forget to include non-alcoholic options as well, such as bottled water, juices, lemonade, iced tea, soft drinks, or non-alcoholic beer and wine. It's important to ensure that all your guests are catered to and have a variety of choices.

Liquor:

If you are planning to serve liquor at your party, you will need to calculate how much to buy. The amount of liquor you need will depend on the number of guests, the duration of the party, and the drinking habits of your guests.

• Determine the duration of your party in hours. Let's assume your party will last for 4 hours.
• Estimate the number of guests who will be drinking liquor. This may depend on factors such as the type of party, the time of day, and the ratio of adults to children on the guest list. For 20 guests, let's assume 15 will be drinking liquor.
• Calculate the total number of drinks needed. Using the formula "total # of drinks = # of guests x party duration in hours", we get 20 guests x 4 hours = 80 drinks.
• Assume that liquor drinks will make up a certain percentage of the total drinks served. For a general prediction, you can use the breakdown of 50% wine, 25% beer, and 25% liquor. In this case, the number of liquor drinks would be 80 drinks x 25% = 20 liquor drinks.
• Calculate the number of bottles of liquor needed. Knowing that a 750ml bottle of liquor contains approximately 17 shots (1.5 ounces each), you can divide the total number of drinks by the number of drinks per bottle. For 20 liquor drinks, you would need 20 / 17 = 1.2 bottles, which you can round up to 2 bottles.
• Consider the specific types of liquor you want to serve. For a basic full bar, you'll want to have vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey. You may also want to add a bottle or two of bourbon, scotch, or brandy.
• Don't forget the mixers! You will need ingredients such as club soda, ice, lemons, limes, simple syrup, bitters, juices (orange, cranberry, tomato), and sodas (cola, ginger ale).
• Stock up on garnishes. Fresh herbs like mint, basil, or rosemary are popular choices.
• Keep in mind that these calculations are estimates, and it's better to have too much than too little. You can always return unopened bottles if you overestimate, or keep the leftovers for yourself.

By following these steps, you can ensure you have enough liquor for your party of 20 guests. Remember to drink responsibly and always plan for designated drivers or alternative transportation for your guests.

Soft drinks:

Soft drinks are an important part of your party planning. It's a good idea to provide a variety of non-alcoholic options for your guests, especially if you're expecting designated drivers, children, or teetotallers.

As a rule of thumb, plan for your guests to have two non-alcoholic drinks in the first hour and one drink for each additional hour of the party. If the weather is warm, expect your guests to drink a bit more.

• Mineral water
• Bottled water
• Lemon-lime soda
• Diet lemon-lime soda
• Cola
• Diet cola
• Sparkling water
• Juices (orange, cranberry, tomato, etc.)
• Iced tea
• Lemonade
• Non-alcoholic beer and wine

You can also get creative and make a signature non-alcoholic punch or cocktail for your guests.

When planning how much to buy, a good rule of thumb is to provide one drink per guest per hour of the event. So, for a three-hour party with 20 guests, you would need 60 servings of soft drinks.

• A 2-liter bottle of soda will give you 10 8-ounce servings.
• Beverages in gallon containers will yield 16 8-ounce servings.
• A quart of juice or punch will serve about three guests.

Don't forget to also stock up on ice, garnishes, glasses, and napkins. For 20 guests, you'll need about 50 glasses and 100 napkins.

With these tips and estimates, you'll be well on your way to ensuring your guests have a great time and stay refreshed throughout your party!

Ice:

Ice is essential for keeping your drinks chilled and your guests happy. The amount of ice you need depends on several factors, including the number of guests, the duration of your event, and whether you're serving chilled drinks or using ice for food and drinks.

For a 20-person gathering, it is recommended to have between 20 and 40 pounds of ice. This estimate is based on the assumption that each guest will consume one 12-ounce beer every half hour to an hour. To ensure your drinks stay cold throughout the event, consider using a cooler with ice.

If you're serving other beverages, such as cocktails or wine, you'll need additional ice. For cocktails, allow for one and a half ounces of liquor per drink, and for wine, plan for one bottle per two guests. Adjust your ice quantities accordingly.

When it comes to ice, it's always better to have too much than too little. You can break up the ice before use to get the best pour and avoid having large chunks that melt slowly. If you're using a cooler, aim for a 2:1 ice-to-drink ratio to keep your beverages nicely chilled.

Don't forget to keep ice for glasses separate from the ice used for chilling drinks and food. This will help ensure your guests' drinks stay cool and refreshing throughout the event.

Frequently asked questions