We have a new brew club that just recently formed and now has the opportunity to introduce itself to the community at a local "Oktoberfest" event. The club has a table for the noon to 5 event and will be serving homebrew to the ~800 event participants. Other commercial beer will also be available at the event, so we are not intending to provide all of the beer. So now to the question.

How much beer would you expect to go through in an hour when pouring 2-4 oz pours at an event with 800 people? I am basically looking for some metric to estimate a volume of beer we should aim for.

For those experienced in hosting a table at beer events, what advise would you provide to a first timer?

Thanks for the help!

It's hard to say, actually. Our club participated in a beer festival this summer. We kicked 10 corny kegs about 3-1/2 hours into a 4 hour fest. There were about 1,000 people. Hope that gives you a frame of reference. Good Luck!

Way too many variables in that question.
I'd say bring exactly 1 shit-ton of beer. It should be enough to last the day.
Seriously, though, bring as much as you can. If using a jockey box for serving, it wont matter if you have them cold or not. It also depends on the taste of the people. You may pour some beers and the word may get out about your freshly made, local beer. I know I would come see you guys for a snort!
I guess to answer your question in the most appropriate way, bring enough to not run out.
Also, what styles are you thinking of bringing out? Do you have a large volume available?
I'm sure that I've been an enormous help with all the vagueries.

Thanks man ... That is exactly the type of information I am looking for!

Yep ... these are many of the same questions I have. I am still trying to get an inventory from the club members on beers available, but as of now I think we have a BDS, IIPA, Blond, Amber, and a Janet's Brown. There are at lest a couple more kegs of something, but don't know what they are yet. We will also have some bottled beer, wines, and meads available for serving.

No matter how much you bring out, set some aside for yourself to enjoy after the show.
Good luck and have a blast. Spread the good word!

What size pours were you giving at the event? 4oz?

That is way too much. Two ounces is just about right. This gives folks a good taste of the beer and allows them to try many more varieties without getting too wasted. These events are for the purpose of exposing folks to the broad universe of craft beer flavor, not to provide a frat party drunkfest experience. Keep the samples small so people can drink responsibly.

Wayne