Do you need to chill Stout

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This seems just a bid odd to me, for "room temp" for me is 75* F. I could not imagine drinking a beer that warm.

It all comes down to personal preference; if you like warm beer, drink warm beer.

Although according to the cicerone certification exam a stout should be served on nitro at 34* F. It shall be poured with a rich creamy head and allowed to rest for 3 minutes. Once the nitro settles and the head begins to dissipate the stout should be topped off again replenishing the head. This is a beer that should not be poured with the glass tilted at a 45* angle, but rather left to stand straight upright during the pouring process. If the stout is to be served using a beer engine it is acceptable to place the faucet at the bottom of the pint glass and fill from the bottom letting the head spill over the rim of the glass.

As I said, drink your beer how you like it. Hell, you brewed it who's going to tell you that you are drinking it "wrong?"
 
artiums_enteri said:
Although according to the cicerone certification exam a stout should be served on nitro at 34* F. It shall be poured with a rich creamy head and allowed to rest for 3 minutes. Once the nitro settles and the head begins to dissipate the stout should be topped off again replenishing the head. This is a beer that should not be poured with the glass tilted at a 45* angle, but rather left to stand straight upright during the pouring process. If the stout is to be served using a beer engine it is acceptable to place the faucet at the bottom of the pint glass and fill from the bottom letting the head spill over the rim of the glass.

Obviously for mass produced flavourless sh*t that is the perfect way to serve it. The best pint of commercial stout I have ever had was a pint of Robinsons Black Bess served at about 12c hand pulled, no nitro no gas just perfectly conditioned and hand pulled, how it would have been served 100 yrs ago. :thumb: :thumb:
 
Actually that serving description is not just for commercially produced stout, but craft beer as well. Sierra Nevada, old Rasputin, and stone hardly fall into the category of commercially produced beer.

At BJCP and AHA competitions beer is served at 34* prior to hitting the judges table.
 
You can't deny the fact that the cooler the beer the less flavour and aroma develops. So perhaps that is why there is so much hop in american beers to compensate for the fact that it will be served cold.
 
No I think west coast IPAs are so popular because they are friggen fantastic! Case and point: AHA 2012 best beers in the world; top 10 are west coast pales and IPAs.
 
Just from personal preference my Nigerian Guinness clone tastes best at about 18 degrees C, I tend to enjoy the roasted and fruit notes that are more prominent at this temp. I do agree that commercial breweries like things served cold to cover up deficiencies in the beer, some of my earlier brews are drinkable if cold enough!

Not sure if it's related but I've only really enjoyed pub Guinness served in Ireland compared to England, this could be purely psychological but I wonder if they serve it differently over there?
 
artiums_enteri said:
No I think west coast IPAs are so popular because they are friggen fantastic! Case and point: AHA 2012 best beers in the world; top 10 are west coast pales and IPAs.

Voted by Americans no doubt, is that like playing in the World Series :lol: :lol:
 
Actually there were beer judges from around the world on the panel. This was an event Michael Jackson (the English beer judge not the American pedophile) used to sit on each year before he passed away.
 
Fair point :thumb:

Actually my favorite beer of mine at the moment is a pale ale with tons of cascade chinnock and willamette to 60 ebu, that actually would be OK to serve cold on a hot summers night, but then again I am from Manchester and the last time we had a heat wave was 1976.
 
That's a good point. It's 106 on an average day out here, and when I come in from the yard I much prefer to grab a cold glass of ice water from the fridge rather than 90* water from the tap. The cold beer is quite refreshing, and just like at the judging table as the brew warms up other flavor profiles and definitions are presented. However, in December I much prefer a thick dark stout and let it warm up as I sip it puffing on my pipe. When we judge we are looking for flaws first and foremost, but the most important question we have to ask ourselves is would we pay money for this and order a second one? The beer is served as it would be presented at a typical restaurant or pub, for the judges decisions could very well lead to this being the next commercially produced beer.
 
artiums_enteri said:
When we judge we are looking for flaws first and foremost, but the most important question we have to ask ourselves is would we pay money for this and order a second one?

Unfortunately a lot of commercial beer out there I wouldn't order a second pint, but a lot of that is down to how it is kept and served. Unfortunately in this country beer is produced by the accountant for the taxman so we end up with beers of less than 4% with limited hops. If we are lucky we may find something above 4.5% with some flavour.

The worst pint I had when i was last out (I don't get out often :lol: ) was a pint Of Brew dog Punk IPA full of flavour and hops but served ice cold with so much gas I may as well as had a pint of C*rling or F*sters. But a few years back I was drinking Proper Job IPA in somerset, bags of cascade and willemette served warmish with no head (being from manchester I like a head on my beer) and it was a fantastic pint,even on a warm summers night (I have to travel to get sunshine :lol: ).

:thumb:
 
Interesting that you say that about Punk IPA - a mate of mine bought one on a night out recently (for £4.50 :shock: ) and i had a taste. My initial thought was it was full of flavour and hops as you said but it was served like an "extra cold" lager with condensation dripping off the fonts, and it was gassier than my lager (kronenbourg i believe it was). I wasnt really sure what to make of it apart from deciding not to buy one since it was £1.50 more tham my drink :lol:
 
I wouldn't buy it again I don't like cold fizzy beer. Hop flavour and aroma was good but it could have been so much better if it was served like an ale and not a fizzy pop. But I suppose their market is trendy up and comming 20 something lager drinkers not over the hill 40 somethings. :lol: :lol:
 

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