Admittedly, this post is a week late. Opening weekend of college football snuck up on us this year, but here we are in possibly my favorite time of the year.
It’s Saturday morning and you just started a pot of coffee before letting your dog out in the backyard. You’ve got the back door open and feel that first ever so slightly cooler fall air just starting to break through the insufferable heat of summer. You can hear Reese Davis welcome you to your favorite three hours of television every week. You feel your phone buzz as your dog runs back inside. As you look down you see the group chat that’s been busy all week. Everyone is coming over to your place for the early afternoon game and you couldn’t be more excited to see everyone.
Know Your Crowd
This might seem obvious but having a clear picture of who will be attending your party is going to help make the process go a lot smoother.
For example, if you plan on having a few of your guy friends over for the game realize you might want an extra tv to accommodate your degenerate friend with a six-leg parlay banking on Utah State to cover. But seriously every group of guys wants to watch multiple games so having extra screens makes things just a touch better and more entertaining.
If your wife has invited a few couple friends you’ll probably want to step up the snacks, put out the nice throw blanket, and light a cool scented candle, so her hard to please “Karen-esque” friend doesn’t have a whole lot to talk about.
Snacks
Food at your party will make or break how the event goes. If drinks are the gas to get the party started snacks can be the brakes to get you and your friends back to the appropriate speed.
Always go back to knowing your audience. If it’s just the boys, it’s time for a good ole fashioned Bro Down. That means hot wings, chips, snack mix, maybe even some popcorn. Things that are easy and keep maximum attention on the game. You’re probably going to be tempted to fire up the grill for some burgers and dogs, but remember if you don’t have an outdoor TV you’ll be stuck on the grill for at least an hour, away from the guys and away from the game. You’ll be a corner in single coverage, on an island with no help.
Maybe you have a significant other who likes football or just wants to have a few friends over while you’re watching the game. This scenario is may be a little more complicated. You’ll definitely want a charcuterie board. Now, the easy way out of this is to go to your grocery store and pick up a pre-made one and throw it on a wooden cutting board. But, if you want to really look like you know what you’re doing head over to Aldi and ask someone there to help you put one together. In my experience you’ll get much more bang for your buck, not just in volume, but quality of meats and cheeses.
Another easy go to that’s sure to be a hit, grab some pre-made pinwheel sandwiches and throw them on a nice tray. The key here to something that can be grab and go that looks a little more elevated than chicken wings and chips. That being said don’t forget chips. Plain, BBQ, and a wild card option should make everyone happy in this situation.
Drinks
Going back to our first tip, know your audience. You probably can’t please everyone, but knowing the basic preferences for your attendees is going to make shopping easier. If you grew up in the south you probably have friends that have some sort of domestic beer loyalty and they can’t get behind the whole “craft beer thing” that’s fine, we still love those guys and they get their own cooler out back. Just pick up 12 of whatever the majority of these guys like, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Michelob Ultra are always safe bets.
Now we tackle the monster that is your craft beer choices. Back when I was coming out of school and starting to have get togethers it was a bit easier, grab some IPAs, maybe a Kölsch or a Hefeweizen and people were impressed because most people weren’t even sure what a Kölsch was. But now most breweries have multiple styles of IPAs, brownie stouts, and even multiple lagers to choose from. Just follow the KISS principle. Keep It Simple Stupid. Pick up 24 IPAs. 12 of a hoppier option and 12 Session (AKA lighter easier drinking) IPAs. If someone gets too bent out of shape at the selection at that point, too bad.
Also, if you’re not quite to the level of Mid-West Rich (aka having a beer fridge in your garage) a nice big cooler for the beer on the back porch is the move. Leave the fridge for snacks and it lets you get outside for a minute or two.
Last thing, it’s fall, football is on, have at least one bottle of a mid-shelf bourbon. Don’t get too wild with it, but there’s not much better than the subtle devilish smile on your friend’s face when you offer them a glass of bourbon.