Tasting beer as it warms.

I like to see how the taste changes as it warms, so I prefer it out of the fridge. Even with a pretty much ideal basement, temperature-wise (which is where I store beer not in the fridge), beer straight from the cellar is usually a bit too warm for me.

 

Temperature affects all things especially things with flavor. Beer, food, coffee. You want them all to be at the optimal temperature (closer to body temperature) so the full flavor is highlighted. We often ask our distributors to bring their wine in at room temp to help pick out the flaws. Wines served cold will often be masking some flaw or issue, same with beer. Try drinking your coffee at 100F instead of 200F, it will amaze you. Cheers!

 

My beer fridge downstairs is set to 50 degrees. Works out great.

 

50 to 55 degrees works for me

 

I'd imagine that it's not worth the hassle nor the cost for most bars to cool various beers to various temperatures. Just throwing them all in the same temp environment and letting the beer geeks deal with it is probably much easier and cheaper.

 

Most all beers except very low ABV varieties taste better 50+ degrees IMO. Beers with high IBUs (stouts or IPAs etc), taste more bitter at cold temps, and smooth out and become sweeter when warm. Funky wilds/Belgians, as they warm up the barnyard funk smell and taste frequently becomes enhanced vs. cold where they are muted. Just my findings. Warmer is better most of the time.

 

Honestly they can put all the BMC's at the ice cold temps and nearly anything craft at 50degrees and it will be better the majority of the time for most beer styles.

 

"There are three intolerable things in life - cold coffee, lukewarm champagne, and overexcited women."

-- Orson Welles​

 

Ive never had a cellar or room temp stout. I like stouts cold actually. But this thread inspired me to now try a stout cool instead of cold. Actually excited to try.

Just a question though. I heard milk stout will spoil if not kept cold is that true and also, if a stout has vanilla added should it also be kept colder?

 

I have a small fridge downstairs for beers as well. I have it set all the way "warm" that it will go and it stays at 48 degrees.
Works super.

 

Sure, for you and I and many on this website. However, I would imagine that many people that purchase craft regularly still prefer their beer to be a good bit colder than 50 degrees. It may indeed be better at 50, but that doesn't mean people will demand it to be at 50. Additionally, I bet having two cooler systems, one for the yellow-fizzy stuff that's at like 35 degrees and another for all the craft stuff at 50, would be very costly and complicated.

There's a spot in RI that has a huge digital sign above the bar, like a shot clock in a basketball game, that displays the temp of the cooler that all the kegs are in. It's usually just a tenth or two degrees over freezing. This same bar will have stuff like Mayflower Porter and Weinstephaner Original on draft. Everything is served in frosted glasses too. No one else besides me seems to be bothered by any of this, so I don't see the bar changing any time soon.

 

Well my friend from what we Americans know of China I'm sure you have very little space in your apartment/house/etc. fridge let alone your entire dwelling.

 

Welles was talented but not too bright.

 

So we should drink beer at 98.6 degrees?

 

I didn't say body temp, I did say closer to it though. For me around cellar temp 58F for most wine and beer slightly cooler. But to each his own, experiment and try out different temps and find what works best for you.

 

It is expensive, but it has such a cool name.
Flux Capacitor

 

It was joke. I have heard stories of red wine drinker having their wine heated up to around 85/90 degrees however.

 

Of course you and I know it was a joke but there are some that may not see the humor in things so, I clarified. Its all good.