Serving Temperature

So I've had a few of bottles of my Witbier and have had them at varying temperatures. I've found that they serve best when lightly chilled/ just below room temp. Any colder and all the body and nice flavours disappear. Is this pretty normal?

Yes Whilst I do use my beer fridge for conditioning/ lagering my beers (ales included) and storing what I can in there. I take them out and let them warm up before cracking open..

The cold I find supresses flavours and you lose depth of flavour.

Covrich said:

Yes Whilst I do use my beer fridge for conditioning/ lagering my beers (ales included) and storing what I can in there. I take them out and let them warm up before cracking open..

The cold I find supreses flavours and you lose depth of flavour.

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This is all true, but during the summer months there is never enough time for this, so I drink even the best Ales a trifle chilled!

I love trifle! Yes...I have found my coopers stout to be better warmer rather than freezing. ..just lightly marinaded in the frigidaire is sufficient.

Cheers

Clint

Theres a reason pubs keep beer in cellars. Its a bit cooler underground and the perfect temperature for serving beer. My last brew was a Coopers English Ale (as I've never done one before). I have had one or two a bit chilled and the rest at room temperature. The chilled ones dont have a head when I pour them, but room temp ones do.

I am not a Guinness drinker but when I see Guinness extra cold on the tap... is that even right??

I can understand why they do carling cold, and Whilst I can appreciate a nice crisp cold pilsner for example, I think a lot of mass produced lager is better cold to mask the dirty flavours when they warm up..

Covrich said:

I am not a Guinness drinker but when I see Guinness extra cold on the tap... is that even right??

I can understand why they do carling cold, and Whilst I can appreciate a nice crisp cold pilsner for example, I think a lot of mass produced lager is better cold to mask the dirty flavours when they warm up..

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When I drink Guiness I avoid the Extra Cold as much as I can, it gives it a horrible sweet taste IMO.

I always thought the general rule was the darker the beer the warmer the serving temperature, so pale and golden ales should be well chilled, heavies and bitters slightly below room (like from a pub beer cellar), and stouts/porters at room temperature.

Ale said:

Theres a reason pubs keep beer in cellars. Its a bit cooler underground and the perfect temperature for serving beer. My last brew was a Coopers English Ale (as I've never done one before). I have had one or two a bit chilled and the rest at room temperature. The chilled ones dont have a head when I pour them, but room temp ones do.

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The cellars in pubs still have cooling equipment in, but you're right in that they're not as cold as beer coming out of a fridge.

http://craftbeertemple.com/videoblog/serving-beer/ for suggestions on serving temperatures, taking note that the temperatures are of course in *F.

I recently had a few pints in Witherspoon. ..an American IPA called Devils Backbone brewed under license by Caledonia Breweries in Edinburgh. Liking a lot of the Caledonia stuff I asked for a sample..."what do you think?" Asked the bar tender. .my immediate reply.."too cold!". It was stone cold...the server was surprised at my "unusual" answer! Half way down the pint the flavours came through as it warmed a bit. It was OK. ..

Cheers

Clint

Clint said:

I recently had a few pints in Witherspoon. ..an American IPA called Devils Backbone brewed under license by Caledonia Breweries in Edinburgh. Liking a lot of the Caledonia stuff I asked for a sample..."what do you think?" Asked the bar tender. .my immediate reply.."too cold!". It was stone cold...the server was surprised at my "unusual" answer! Half way down the pint the flavours came through as it warmed a bit. It was OK. ..

Cheers

Clint

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I often find this with my own beers. I'll take one out of the fridge and pour it but the flavours dont fully come out until it's warmed up a bit

Clint said:

.......... It was stone cold...the server was surprised at my "unusual" answer! Half way down the pint the flavours came through as it warmed a bit. It was OK. .......

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I hate cold beer with a passion!

I was brought up with beer that was served at "cellar temperature" which year round was just under "bar-room temperature".

Whenever I see a film where some Yank makes a comment about Britain's "warm beer." I grind my teeth and have been known to shout at the screen "It isn't 'warm' you plank, it's just not freezing cold."

No matter at what temperature it is served, a brandy drinker is advised to swirl the drink around the inside of the brandy-glass (shaped for this purpose) to warm the drink and then to smell the aroma of the brandy before taking a single taste.

Beer is no different. To be fully appreciated a good beer needs to be at a temperature where the aroma of the hops is being released and the flavour of the beer on the tongue and in the mouth can be sensed and appreciated.

Drinking a "cold" beer stops the drinker from appreciating any of these elements; which is exactly why the purveyors of the **** that they often sell in our pubs chill their beer so much!

Even when I find a decent beer in a pub the system being used results in it being served too cold for it to be fully appreciated so my answer to the problem is to order two beers for a start and let the second one warm up whilst trying to find a taste in the first.

By pint number four the children at the back of the bar realise that you aren't "waiting for a friend" and the beer you are drinking is warm enough to taste. :thumb: :thumb:

i tend to take a bottle out of the fridge and leave it for 30mins-1hr before cracking open, always seems to be just the right temp for me....slightly chilled but not cold

I've no "kegerator", "keezer" or other means (apart from wet towels) of cooling Corny kegs of beer. This year we were abruptly kicked into Summer, beer temperature rising to 18-20C from 14-16C in just a couple of days - crisis! The hand-pumped ales kept at 2PSI lost all their CO2 condition and the "Belgium" style ales, while not losing their high carbonation, fobbed madly and didn't taste too good that warm.

After a few days the hand-pumped beers did settle down and even at 18C did restore an acceptable level of carbonation and tasted alright; perhaps not at their best but quite alright. Some got a bit lively because of the heat but although I devised elaborate venting procedures found the higher carbonation (4-6PSI) did no obvious harm flavour-wise at that temperature (except one where the yeast kicked off again and became "muddy" both in appearance and flavour). The "Belgium" styles get put into bottles and go in the fridge for an hour serving at 12-14C, any colder and they are destroyed, flavours (often "estery" in nature) become muted and transformed into "less pleasant" flavours.

High temperatures (18-20C) haven't turned into the disaster I was expecting earlier in the year for British style hand-pumped ales, but perhaps I'll have a "kegerator"/"keezer" set at 14-15C next year (12C I find too cold). I might even consider a cooler to get the "Belgium" styles just a tad cooler (10-12C, certainly no cooler).

The serving temp seems to be a misconception the Americans have of us .. they think we drink "warm" beer. when we don't its just warmer than how they serve it.. From what I have heard or read they find it really odd or unthinkable to not drink beer ice cold, but in fairness I think for the mass produced market I can understand.. like over here if you get some crates of beer from tesco and drink that warmer than fridge temps it tastes dirty and not great..

This thread actually reminded me to turn my beer fridge down now so they won't be really cold when I take them out and they can sit and get to cool temp quicker.

I have always thought that a good 'cellar temperature' is about 12 degrees. I agree that too cold will not allow appreciation of the flavours ... but after a hot afternoon doing whatever, I don't always care about that as quenching the thirst is a priority. Different beers demand different temperatures to be honest, but each of us is individual so why should we all like it the same? In my house the beer is always likely to be too warm or too cold in summer although my winter temperatures are usually good. I tend to chill the lighter summery beers (I use a mains powered coolbox for the bottles... not as harsh as the fridge). The pub over the road serves Proper Job at a beautiful temperature ... maybe I should pick up a thermometer and go for a walk :whistle:

Cask Marque's opinions - http://cask-marque.co.uk/info-for-pubs/beer-temperature/

I always knew i was weird.
I must be the only one here who likes his beer cold.
Oh well 😉

pms67 said:

I always knew i was weird.
I must be the only one here who likes his beer cold.
Oh well 😉

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I do too when it comes to pale and golden ales, straight from the fridge. Other beer styles I either use mini kegs (cooled for 13 hours in a £1 cool bag stuffed with 5 ice packs, some heat retaining foil stuff and some tea towels, brings them out at "cellar" temperature come drinking time), or I'll take the bottle(s) out of the fridge for an hour or so first.

pms67 said:

I always knew i was weird.
I must be the only one here who likes his beer cold.
Oh well 😉

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Well for me it's totally style dependant, a nice English style bitter should be only lightly chilled, Belgian styles a little cooler around 12°, and a pilsner or wheat beer a bit cooler again. I have a weisse bottled which is at its best around 5° or so.

chuffer said:

i tend to take a bottle out of the fridge and leave it for 30mins-1hr before cracking open, always seems to be just the right temp for me....slightly chilled but not cold

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I know I should do this but I'm FAR too impaitient to wait 30 mins for my beer to warm up