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Pick a Number
Planning your lineup starts by choosing a target number of brews. Starting with a firm number makes it much easier to balance selection considerations later and your venue or provider may give you this information up front. My general rule of thumb for most menus is 3-5 options. Science tells us that humans cognitive load and working memory maxes out around 4+1 "chunks" and this provides ample satisfaction/freedom without adding too much logistical complexity (see Hick's Law, Paradox of Choice, and Cognitive Load). If you have a large spirits/cocktail or wine menu, aim towards the lower end - you may even want to step down to two options. Even if your budget only allows for one option, boldly say "I'm picking one beer" and stick to it!
One Beer Please
In some ways, this is the easiest choice. Picking a single beer is all about appealing to the largest number of people as possible, and the free market has done us the favor of providing a cheat sheet for just this. If you're picking just one beer, it should be one that everyone has heard of, maybe even one that you see in TV commercials. The most popular beer styles the world of are mass market ales and lagers.
It is important to consider your guest list however. Are most of your attendees older? That may steer you towards a historic brand. Is your family Irish, Italian, Mexican, or another origin with a strong national champion? By all means, pick that one. For a blend of tastes, you may be able to get away with a solid pale ale or macro-craft beer.
1 Beer Options:
Tried and True - Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, Modelo Especial, Heineken
Macro Craft - Blue Moon, Sweetwater 420, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sam Adam's
National Champions - Guinness, Modelo Negra, Peroni, Sapporo
Texas - Shiner Bock
My Choice - Blue Moon, bonus points for having fresh orange slices
It takes Two to Tango
Stepping up to two beers, you now have some decisions to make. Do you take the crowd pleaser light beer and then add something that YOU want? That's not a bad plan; it's your day after all. My general guidance is to choose one beer with less flavor and another with a more hoppy bent.
Example pairs:
Anheuser Busch - Michelob Ultra (Light) & Elysian Space Dust (IPA)
Middle of the Road - Sweetwater 420 (Pale Ale) & Blue Moon (Wheater)
South of the Border - Modelo Especial (Pilsner) & Modelo Negra (Dunkel)
Thor - Creature Comforts Tropicalia IPA & Yuengling
Three is Good Company
At three options, you are fully powered and can start thinking about working in something funky or a local craft hit. From here on, definitely treat yourself and include your favorite brew, budget & venue allowing. Target a lineup with a light beer, something hoppy, and something you love.
Example Trios:
Chicago St. Pat's - Michelob Ultra, Guinness, Goose Island IPA
Hotlanta - Miller Lite, Scofflaw Basement IPA, Blue Moon
Wow Wow West Coast - Corona Premier (Light), Ballast Point GrapeFruit Sculpin (IPA), Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Connect Four
Building on the core three-lineup, my recommendation for a fourth is to either add a sour or dark beer if there is not already one in the mix or to bring in an import. For whatever reason, some people aren't keen on craft profiles but shun domestic options.
Imports - Corona Familiar, Heineken, Stella Artois, Guinness, Dos Equis Ambar
Sour - Dogfish Head Sequench, Founder's Green Zebra, New Belgium Grape Fizz, Victory Sour Monkey - Local craft options may be best here.
Dark Beers - Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout, Sierra Nevada Porter, Yuengling Black & Tan, Paulaner Dunkel, Newcastle Brown Ale
Five O'Clock Everywhere
Again, if you haven't already included your or your partner's favorite brewski, you should definitely bring that one in to round out the lineup. If you have an IPA already in the group, adding a middle bitter option like a pale ale could be a good move. Unless there is another beer above that is jumping out to you, I would advise zooming out and assessing your menu wholistically. If you have relatively dry white and red wines, it may be good to add a refreshing "beer" option at the sweeter end, and by this I mean a canned cocktail or seltzer. Otherwise, it may be a good idea to simply add a flagship mass market lager. For Summer weddings, adding a shandy or radler format beer is also always a good choice.
Flagships - Budweiser, Miller High Life, Coors Banquet, Yuengling
Not "Beer" - High Noon Seltzer, Seagram's Escapes
Juice of Summer - New Belgium Dominga (Grapefuit Paloma Ale), Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Sam Adam's Summer, Bud Light Lime, Michelob Ultra Infusions, Dos Equis Lime and Salt
How much do I Need?
With your lineup set, the next question you may ask is how much beer do I need? Conventional wisdom says around one drink per person per hour is your target. If you have a designated cocktail hour, I would add +1. You do know your guests best though. If they're big drinkers, two per hour could be a good estimate (maybe worth looking into an unlimited drinks package). If the reception will last more than five hours, I would halve the amount per hour. We budgeted at 1.5 drinks per hour and had a good amount of leftovers.
It's Getting Hot in Here
While the beer itself is very important, one other thing may be equally important: temperature. Warm beer tastes real crappy but cold beer makes us happy. Beers will need to be in the fridge the night before in order to be cold (usually takes 6-8 hours though this can be more if you're sticking a bunch in at once).
If you're icing, plan on having 1-2 pounds of ice per person, more if it's a long event. Aim for a 2:1 ratio of ice to beer in each cooler/tub, making layers with the beer and ice. Adding some water and salt will help the beer chill faster (potentially as little as 20 minutes). With just ice, plan on having the beers in place at least two hours before the event.
In Conclusion
There is no wrong choice when picking beers for your wedding. Your guests will happy that there is something to drink period, so don't stress. Feel free to customize the options above or go off the map if an idea comes to mind. Congratulations!