What temp do you guys prefer? I've always had Don De Dieu at cold temps, but today I started off at about 55 degrees, and as it warmed, more flavor profiles emerged. At room temperature, I noticed even more flavors of stone fruits and pineapple.
I generally find that the recommended serving temps for a wide variety of different styles of beers (the ones that are on each of the style desciption pages on this site) are pretty much right on target for most of the styles.
I generally prefer to start all my beers off cold. Some I drink faster than others (if I can help it).
I find that the higher the density of my beer, the closer to cellar or even room temp it should be for max flavor.
I first begin drinking my BSPA at the recommended temp, like @drtth mentioned aforehand. I let them warm up to see if they unlock anymore flavors, good or bad. This usually takes about an hour for me.
It is my understanding that Belgian Strong Ale should be served at 12-14C which in the US would be 54-57F. Any time I have drank in Belgium or Holland this is the temp they are served at and I think that is a pretty good place to take the Que from.
I like to let them warm up after taking them out of the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. I find that works better than letting them warm after pouring because many beers do not form a proper head at lower temperatures. And of course if you drink them too cold you miss out on the complexity of the flavors.
A good rule of thumb beerdedking. I think anyone would miss out on the max flavors if any beer is ice cold anyhow. Recommended temp or slightly less cold than recommended works for me.
I have a hard time with Belgian SPA's. I feel like there's just not that much flavor there, so it would make sense to let them warm up a bit. I'll have to try that.
I'm sure that I've said this many times on this site, but I drink slowly. Because of this, I drink everything across the entire temperature spectrum between right out of the fridge and room temperature. I find that this lets me experience everything the beer has to offer, good or bad. I get a fuller impression of what the beer truly is. In my (general) experience, the better quality the beer, the better it tastes at room temperature, even low ABV pale ales and lagers. I really tend to prefer all styles at or near room temperature; the aromas (and to a lesser degree the flavors) open up more at higher temps.
