How Cold Should the Beer be Before Serving?

With variation in styles present in the intoxicating world of beer, the question regarding the serving temperature needs to be addressed—and in more ways than one. There is no absolute benchmark and the temperature depends on individual tastes and preferences. The generally accepted norms regarding the chilliness of beer can be tweaked to a certain degree and as a drinker you are the right person to set the thermostat to the desired level.

Challenging the myths-

Beer needs to be very cold before being served: Most beer manufacturers’ and breweries position their brands on certain features apart from taste. The cold sensation provided by chilled beer inhibits the taste receptors of your tongue and so the need to neutralize the taste becomes important. Guzzlers should know that alcohol delivery systems do not require taste; which usually gets into the way.

Numbing the taste buds with a cold refresher –iced tea, soda or simply chilled water can provide a similar “cold taste”. So remember not to freeze your beer or bring it to a state of near freeze. Good beer should be served cold but never too chilled!

English beer is served “warm” or at room temperature: Well, it’s not served “warm” but at the temperature in the cellar which is effectively between 12-14 degrees centigrade; whereas the room temperature lingers around 21 degrees.

The right temperature-

As you go through those inviting rows of beer steins for sale, remember to serve your ale between room temperature and “ice cold”. The numerous generalizations made regarding beer of different colors are true to a certain degree. While the lighter colored ones taste best when chilled; darker beers such as Imperial stouts, quadruple and Barley Wines find place at the warmer end of the temperature graph. Apart from the English beers served at cellar temperature, the rest of the lot lie in between the defined range.

Extremely cold: (0-4C/ 32-39F) –

This temperature range is for beer which you don’t desire to taste. The list includes Pale Lager, Canadian-style Golden Ale, Malt Liquor and Cream Ale, along with low alcohol based Canadian, Scandinavian or American style Cider.

Cold: (4-7C/39-45F) –

Kristalweizen, Hefeweizen, Kölsch, Pilsner, Fruit Beer, Premium Lager, Classic German Pilsner, brewpub-style Golden Ale, Belgian White, European Strong Lager, American Dark Lager, Berliner Weisse, sweetened Fruit Lambics or Gueuzes.

Cool: (8-12C/45-54F) –

Amber Ale, American Pale Ale, California Common, Faro, Belgian Ale, Sweet Stout, Stout, Dunkelweizen, Dry Stout, Porter, Vienna, Schwarzbier, English-style Golden Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Dunkel, Dortmunder/Helles, Smoked, Altbier, unsweetened Fruit Lambics, Spanish-style Cider, Tripel and Irish Ale.

Cellar: (12-14C/54-57F) –

This temperature range is best suited for Brown Ale, Flemish Sour Ale, Premium Bitter, English Pale Ale, Unblended Lambic, Weizen Bock, India Pale Ale, Saison, Bière de Garde, Abbey Dubbel, Old Ale, Baltic Porter, Bock, Foreign Stout and so forth.

Warm: (14-16C/57-61F) –

Imperial Stout, Barley Wine, Imperial/Double IPA, Eisbock, Doppelbock and Mead.

Hot: (70C/158F) –

Quelque Chose, Liefmans Glühkriek and spiced dark winter ales such as Daleside Morocco Ale.

Come hot summer afternoons and cookouts and Frisbee stand incomplete without a chilled bottle of beer. Put in your recently gained knowledge to enhance their refreshing taste and refrain from doing disservice to your beautiful beer steins.