Serving Temps and Better Beer Drinking

Its standard for me to pay attention to temps. I don't obsess about it but find it useful in gaining full enjoyment of the beer (and increasing value for the money I spent on the beer). I was a believer from the first time I sat and sipped a rich full flavored Imperial Stout fresh from the fridge as it slowly warmed up over the course of an hour. The opening up and increased complexity of the aromas, tastes, and flavors was a really awakening.

Then I did a bit of reading about some of the effects of cold on the ability to taste and pick up flavors and realized that most Adjunct Lagers were meant to be relatively flavorless which is why you were supposed to drink them well chilled and use a frosted glass. The chill helps to numb the tastebuds and eliminate flavors, giving you something to enjoy--a cold, refreshing beverage without much flavor. However, for that purpose I prefer water as it costs me less. :-)

 

you've got to pay attention to serving temps with certain beers. I don't want to spend the money on a barrel aged stout if I am going to drink it at a Pilsner temp(the flavors won't be there).

 

correct serving temperature and correct glassware are something I have had arguments about. The amount of times people purporting to be beer nerds - including on this very site - have insisted that all beer should be served ice cold and the glass doesn't matter? Oy.

 

Must drink beers at the proper temperature to truly enjoy every thing the beer has to offer. Lagers and pilsners and such go in the fridge we keep our food in. All my stouts, barleywines, and porters go in my downstairs fridge that I keep at 50 degrees. My Backwoods Bastard never even sees the fridge at all. It sits on my basement floor which is about 60 degrees.

 

Ask Frank Booth what he thinks about warm beer.

 

Went off earlier this year when a local English pub adjusted the tempature on London Pride to suit the local palate.

 

I drink most big beers at cellar temp between 50-60 degrees, brewery recommendations are usually followed for glassware as well.

 

I always look to the bottle itself for serving temp suggestions but other than that I like to have my beer chill for maybe 10 minutes so I can see how it opens up. Even certain styles that are supposed to be costumed warmer (imp. Stouts) taste better a bit cooler than recommended, but never ice cold

 

It is always nice to actually do the experiment. Take a stout or an IPA and open it right out of the fridge. Take sips as it warms. As I was you will be amazed at the difference when you get a beer to the right temperature.

 

I have never had this thought before...has anyone ever heated a beer to see what one tastes like at say 80-90 degrees F or even higher?

 

In my opinion, serving temperature and glassware are of equal and high importance for me to properly enjoy and appreciate different beer styles. The unique characteristics of many beers can only be maximized and appreciated when the beer is served properly. So yes, I definitely pay attention to serving temperature, because why wouldn't I want to enjoy my beer as much as possible?

 

Some places here serve all beers in frozen glasses and I speak up on every visit, but they calmly tell me I'm in the minority. Even among IPA and stout drinkers, the demand is more for frozen glassware than room temperature glassware. I give up. Welcome to craft beer going mainstream.

 

Not on purpose. I did leave I Brooklyn BCS to close to a heating vent once. Not sure of the temp but it was warm to the touch. It tasted about the same but seemed a bit heavier.

 

I have a couple times with a rather intoxicated beer pong game. Funny how long that game can last at the end of a big party in the backyard. I do remember how bad that was. My biggest problem was discerning whether it was the hot summer sun or just the temperature of the beer that made me so hung over the next day.

 

Back in the "days of excess" when I could buy a case of Pliny the Elder a month,
I used to do the following:

Remove 2 Pliny's from the fridge.
Remove Frozen/Chilled Glass from freezer.
Pop the first Pliny and let the other sit on the counter top.
Pour the open Pliny into frozen glass 1/2 way.
Slam that 1/2 glass of Pliny! Yum! Remark at how amazing it is.
Put the remaining 10 to 12 oz of Pliny into the glass and enjoy.
* At this point the glass temp does not influential the beer as much - glass temp is = to refrigerated beer temp.
Drink that tasty beer over the next 10 to 15 minutes.
Pop the top on the next Pliny (which was on the counter top) and fill the now room temperature glass all the way to the top.
Take one nice healthy chug.
Pour the remainder of the second 16.9 oz Pliny into the glass and enjoy with restraint.

Consider pulling a third Pliny out of the fridge.

 

Eeeew!

 

I pay pretty close attention to serving temperature depending on what and where I am drinking. I tend to start with my beers slightly above the recommended temps and taste in stages. I like how the beer changes as it warms up. I do this because honestly when I'm enjoying a nice beer it takes a bit of time to finish. Glassware is also important especially when drinking some of the more complex beers. The only time I drink something really cold is some kind of commercial lager on the ball field or beach when you usually have to drink it pretty fast before it goes too skunky.

 

Haven't done this with beer but did an experiment with some Hard Ciders. They weren't bad but lost it's appeal fairly quickly.

 

I've always been confused with the "start drinking when chilled and watch how it opens up as it warms" crowd. Unless this is the first time you tried the brand/style, why wouldn't you drink the whole thing at optimal temp?