Time or Temperature

Temperature. People tend to drink beer too cold. It is true that the colder it is the more masked flavors are as well as it'll hold onto aromatics more strongly.
I'm sure there is science to it as well beyond this vague answer, such as the colder it is, the more heat will be pulled from taste buds, thus deforming surface proteins inhibiting both mechanical and chemical stimulation.

 

I remember my first beer... just kidding. But seriously, I drink very few beers at fridge temps and always give RISs a good 15 to 20 minutes to warm up if I took them out of the fridge. You've seen the color changing coldness indicators on the Coors Light bottles, correct?....there's a reason for that

 

I've noticed the same thing with regard to temperature. It seems to vary by style though. In particular, I had bourbon barrel aged ale that I typically really like. Bought a 6-er and tossed it in the fridge. Next day coming home from work and I'm excited to have one but had the same reaction on first sip... meh. By the time I was half way through my email it had regained its aroma and flavors I bought it for.

Coors Light though... oh I'd eat that as a popsicle!

 

It's always for me temperature. Beers are made to be drank at certain temps. Flavors pop and layers develop.

Cheers!

 

You also have to take into account that, when the beer sits and warms up, it loses carbonation. This can make a beer have a very different mouthfeel.

 

Try drinking Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout at room temperature sometime it's excellent.

 

It's funny how we grew up thinking that beer was best ice cold, on ice, in a frosty mug, etc... Boy those guys had us fooled!

 

With RIS and it's ilk, I like to pull them out of the fridge and let them sit for an hour or more. Sometimes they're still too cold!

 

Temperature. Some beers (I find stouts especially) are just meh when really cold/temperature that most fridges are at. I won't have a buzz before the beer warms up to the nice temperature range so I think that is out. The higher temperature definitely lets the flavors really come out.

 

The temperature that you drink a certain beer style will definitely affect how you perceive a given beer. Below is a useful guide from ratebeer.com.

Cheers!

Beer is best served in between “ice cold” and room temperature. There are a lot of generalization made about beers of different colors, most of which are false. However, when it comes to temperature, color seems to make a big difference. Lighter-colored beers are generally best served cold. At the warmest end are the big, dark beers like Quadrupels, Imperial Stouts and Barley Wines. At cellar temperature are English-style beers and in the middle is just about everything else.

Very cold (0-4C/32-39F): Any beer you don’t actually want to taste. Pale Lager, Malt Liquor, Canadian-style Golden Ale and Cream Ale, Low Alcohol, Canadian, American or Scandinavian-style Cider.

Cold (4-7C/39-45F): Hefeweizen, Kristalweizen, Kölsch, Premium Lager, Pilsner, Classic German Pilsner, Fruit Beer, brewpub-style Golden Ale, European Strong Lager, Berliner Weisse, Belgian White, American Dark Lager, sweetened Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Duvel-types

Cool (8-12C/45-54F): American Pale Ale, Amber Ale, California Common, Dunkelweizen, Sweet Stout, Stout, Dry Stout, Porter, English-style Golden Ale, unsweetened Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Faro, Belgian Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Dunkel, Dortmunder/Helles, Vienna, Schwarzbier, Smoked, Altbier, Tripel, Irish Ale, French or Spanish-style Cider

Cellar (12-14C/54-57F): Bitter, Premium Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Saison, Unblended Lambic, Flemish Sour Ale, Bière de Garde, Baltic Porter, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Strong Ale, Weizen Bock, Bock, Foreign Stout, Zwickel/Keller/Landbier, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale, American Strong Ale, Mild, English-style Cider

Warm (14-16C/57-61F): Barley Wine, Abt/Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Mead

Hot (70C/158F): Quelque Chose, Liefmans Glühkriek, dark, spiced winter ales like Daleside Morocco Ale.

 

Hello. Yes in my experience, even a lager or pilsner should not be 'cold' as most people seem to think of or we have grown up with. Take it out of the fridge about 10 minutes before drinking. Like the list above says, stouts and barleywines should be just about room temperature or so and everything else should be between 10 minutes out of the fridge to room temperature. Very cold beer out of the fridge, cooler, tap, etc. will be too cold for the palate to enjoy everything the beer has to offer. That's why Bud, Coors, etc. are supposed to be served ice cold; so that you don't taste how bad they actually are, and it's the reason most of the general public does not like 'warm' beer.

 

Temperature 95%, buzz 5%.

 

I've found that you get the most flavor out of any beer, liquid, or comestible when it is at room temperature. Now, sometimes a beer (or food) will develop less pleasant flavors, or too much of a certain flavor, at room temperature, and lose some of its positive characteristics, which is why we obviously don't have everything at about 60 or 65 degrees Fahrenheit. You want crispness and refreshment from a hefeweizen.

I mostly drink stouts, barleywines, and strong ales, however, and these beers rarely go into the fridge at all. Why waste part of the beer waiting to get those subtle flavors and added complexity that only come out when they're not masked by the coldness of the brew?

 

I once saw a waitress pour a Founders Imperial Stout into a frosted mug. I paid my tab and promptly walked out.

 

I know I'm in a small minority around here, but I like all my beverages (not just beer) cold. With my palate, I get all the same flavors and tastes straight out of the fridge as at 55 or more degrees. Plus, as the beer warms, I lose the tactile pleasure of the cold drink across my mouth. I won't even touch a room temperature beer, I know I won't get any enjoyment from it.

 

You must have some palate then because it's a drastically different experience for me. Plus...there's a difference btw "room temperature" as you said and "proper serving temperature" for most styles.

 

I enjoy opening a beer (especially something like an imperial stout) a little colder than serving temperature, and gradually noticing the change in taste, aroma & mouthfeel as it warms. I had a Boulevard BBQ not too long ago that changed dramatically over the arc of 10 or 15 degrees.

 

I think my palate is limited. When sharing beers with friends, I often don't pick up flavors/aspects they do. Oddly, I seem to pick up more flavors in simple styles than I do in the bigger, more complex styles. I know the difference between room and proper serving temps, but for me, proper serving temps are usually way too warm, might as well stick 'em in the microwave for all the pleasure I get out of it. But, that's just me and I know that about myself, so I adjust accordingly.