I'll bet BDR's fridge has a spot for this beer.

Terry O'Keefe · May 31, 2007

Ice crystals??? Now I'm not expert but I think Ice Cold is just a saying not a goal.

What effect does too low a temperature have on beer?
Well, for one thing, it makes it more difficult to digest. The stomach copes best with solids or liquids at around body temperature and the further away from this your consumptions stray, the more difficulty it has processing them.

For taste, chilling is a pure disaster. Below 5º C there is scarcely any aroma and the nose is left with very little to enjoy. The tongue is frozen into numbness, further narrowing the sensations experienced. Various volatile components present in the beer are not released in the mouth and disappear unnoticed down the throat. Put simply, the flavour profile is much narrower and some tastes disappear completely.

Not all flavours are affected the same way, so the net result of chilling can also be to change the balance of a beer. Hop bitterness survives relatively well, whereas many complex fruit flavours disappear without trace. Spices are robust enough to still be noticed, while subtle malt tastes evaporate.

As the more alert of you may already have noticed, this leaves pale lagers less damaged than rich, malty ales. No coincidence, given that lagers were always brewed and served cooler than ales. Inevitably, lager styles will have been adapted to perform best at lower temperatures. Top-fermenting styles evolved in a warmer environment and this is where they thrive.

What is the correct temperature for a beer?
Well, it depends on how you determine what makes beer good. For some, most important is that it be cold and refreshing. In this case, an inoffensive, international-style pils at 4º or 5º C is just your man. Not a great taste experience, but doing the job you want it to. Thirsty, and after a few tasty pints to wash the dust out of your mouth, you can’t go wrong with a top-quality Czech lager at 6º - 8º C. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for maximum flavour, it’s hard to get a quality Belgian ale too warm without heating it on a gas ring. Around 15º C is the minimum. If you want it colder than that, you’re drinking the wrong beer.

Take a look at some beer labels and you’ll see that most breweries recommend temperatures between 4º and 12º C, with lagers in the 4º - 6º C range and ales 6º C and above. In recent years, they have been slowly creeping downwards. For example, 5 years ago Duvel specified 12º - 14º C, now it’s 6º - 10º C. Even the most complex Belgian ales rarely suggest more than 12º C.

But how cold is a beer when you order it a pub? Outside of a specialist bar, you’ll be lucky to get a bottle at the temperature on the label, which is itself probably too low for all the nuances to be fully appreciated. Ask for a draught beer, and it will be colder still. The pumps have a good chance of all being at the icy setting used for the pils. Ask the staff why it’s so cold and the most likely response is ‘that’s the way people like it”. More accurate would perhaps be: that’s the way the landlord likes it. Bad as well as good flavours are more easily detected with a warmer temperature, so chilling can help cover up any faults.
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How Cold Should Your Beer Be?

Bear Down Rick · Jun 1, 2007

I'm with George, Terry. I like my water ice cold as well :wink:

George Krebs · Jun 1, 2007

That is quite an impressive collection, Rick. And neatly organized in a clean garage fridge too! Obviously you take your hobby seriously. It reminds me of fine cigar collection both in assortment and presentation with an eye on controlled storage. The staging area concept is reminicient of the launch pad at cape Canaveral. Well done!

Terry, warm beer? Is there anything better over a plate of enchiladas on a hot day in San Antone than an ice cold

Not to this hombre!

Bear Down Rick · Jun 1, 2007

The staging area concept is reminicient of the launch pad at cape Canaveral.
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Really? I thought it was just reminiscent of a guy who has his own beer fridge in the garage.

HUSKERMAN-HUSKERFAN · Jun 1, 2007

HUSKERMAN-HUSKERFAN · Jun 1, 2007

IS THIS "BEER DOWN RICK"??

Bear Down Rick · Jun 22, 2007

Even the Yankees agree, Coors Light is not satisfying...

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I'll bet BDR's fridge has a spot for this beer.

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I'll bet BDR's fridge has a spot for this beer.

Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

Bear Down Rick Well-Known Member

George Krebs Well-Known Member

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HUSKERMAN-HUSKERFAN Well-Known Member

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