How and where did this idea begin? Actually according to legend and some historical fact, it started in ancient Rome with wine. The Romans believed heating the wine and adding spices was healthier, or at least disguised the taste of a bad wine. The concept eventually spread across Europe and many variations developed using cognacs, ciders and beer. Picture yourself in the 1600’s England, arriving in a stage coach at a tavern for an overnight stay, after a long arduous journey.. The day is damp, dark, dreary and cold. You are not in a good mood. The inn keeper offers a pewter tankard of mulled ale. The tankard is placed on you table and a serving wench follows with a red hot poker and inserts it into the ale for several seconds. You take the first sip, it begins to warm your innards and your disposition changes for the better. It is a cold, dark, damp and dreary day here and I am not in the best of mood…. so why not? I placed an iron poker into the fire place, allowed it to become red hot, well almost, and slowly inserted it into my pewter beer mug ( I don’t think glass would be a good idea), watched the ale bubble for a few seconds and took the first sip. Yep, it worked. Gotta hand it to the Brits, first a language, then a legal system (Common Law) ….. and at the top of my list, mulled ale!
I've never had a warm mulled ale, but I find it interesting. I have, however, created several recipes for "mulled" ale that included spices with a 100% barley base, 49% apple cider, and 49% honey. I also love gluhwein, either cold, or warm when I'm at a weihnachtsmarkt in German or other parts of Europe. Christmas in England is on my travel list for 2021 though so maybe I can actually find some mulled ale there. If not, maybe I can open up my own stall!
Very probably this. Interesting that you tried this. That said, I've never had spices nor heat improve any alcoholic beverage that I've ever had. I've drank quite a few of these concoctions, usually at the behest of a well intentioned acquaintance, with very little to show for it other than me not being able to drink my beverage as quickly as I'd like to for fear of scalding. No, the warmest that I want my alcohol is room temperature, cellar temp. for beer, and hold the spices, please.
I've never had the pleasure of trying a mulled ale personally. Honestly it doesn't sound appealing to me personally, but I would certainly try it with an open mind if the opportunity arose.
The mulled thing was more novelty than anything else. When it comes to serious beer drinking, I'm with you, cellar temp and no spices, limes, or anything else.
As anyone who has read Game of Thrones knows, you mull wine by heating it and adding spices. I don't have a problem with adding spices to beer - pumpkin beer is basically spiced beer - but heating it to over room temperature, maybe not.
I made Alton Brown's recipe for Wassail once several years ago. It was fucking disgusting. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/wassail-recipe-1949056 Madeira wine, non-descript "ale" (I used London Pride, IIRC), eggs and Christmas spices. What could possibly go wrong? In retrospect I should've just drank the drank the beer, sipped the madeira (love that shit), and cooked up some eggs.
The thought of a nice sturdy ale to withstand the heat and a red hot poker well put it this way; start dialing 9-1. . .
"I won't have anything to do with muled ales. The breweries have a limit on special ale releases for a reason. They can produce only so much, and they want to give as many people as possible a chance to try them. Using mules is not only taking advantage of the system, it's outright cheating. If you're buying muled ale, you're part of the prob... Excuse me, what?" "MULLED. It's MULLED ale." "Never mind."
So with all of the ale styles which are supposed to work well mulled and which not so much (assuming mulled ales are actually good that is).
