Beer is a strange beast, as too are us as drinkers. In the world of beer there are many different styles and associated with the confusion between styles is the question of 'what is the correct serving temperature'.
There is no one answer to this question - but there are rules of thumb that one can apply in order to experience the best out of a particular beer (or style). Of course individual drinkers will have their own preference, and you'll also have people who will scoff at you for suggesting a beer should be anything other than ice-cold so please do not take this as a hard and fast rule, but rather our suggestion on what we believe will provide the best results.
There are two things you must understand first before we get to the temperature recommendations, and they are:
1. Beer does not need to be served very cold (or ice-cold). Many macro-brewers will want you to believe otherwise and indeed their own advertising cements this fact. The reason for this is that at colder temperatures your tongues taste receptors are inhibited. Once 'numbed' many flavours in the beer are neutralised and any complexitity within the beer is lost. This isn't a problem with most macro beers as they are relatively simple beers, hence the reason the idea of an ice-cold beer came about.
2. Serving beer at room temperature is not a good thing, unless you happen to live in a colder country where room temperature is between 4-12 degrees. In Australia this is rare and you need to think outside the square should a drinker mention anything about room temps.
Guidelines:
The best results are when you serve your beer between ice-cold and cellaring temp (note, the replacement of room with cellar to avoid confusion). Two quick checks will help prevent the need to whip out a temperature chart when drinking and they are:
- If the colour is light you typically serve these at the cooler range of temperatures;
- If the colour is dark and the body of the beer heavy allow the beer to warm up a little before drinking;
- In between sit things like Pale Ales, Pilsners, Fruit driven Beers etc.
Very cold (0-4C): Pale Lager, Malt Liquor, Golden Ale, Cream Ale, Low Alcohol, Cider.
Cold (4-7C): Hefe weizen, Kristal weizen, Kolsch, Premium Lager, Pilsner, Classic German Pilsner, Fruit Beer, brewpub-style Golden Ale, European Strong Lager, Berliner Weisse, Belgian White, American Dark Lager, Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Duvel-types
Cool (8-12C): American & Australian Pale Ale, Amber Ale, 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): Bitter, Premium Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Saison, Unblended Lambic, Flemish Sour Ale, Biere de Garde, Baltic Porter, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Strong Ale, Weizen Bock, Bock, Foreign Stout, Zwickel/Keller/Landbier, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale, Strong Ale, Mild, English-style Cider
Warm (14-16C): Barley Wine, Abt/Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Mead
Hot (70C): Dark, spiced winter ales. *Very Rare in Australia
Like yourselves I really enjoy a nice cold beer on a hot summers day. This guide isn't here to tell you to stop such a practice, heaven forbid, but rather plan your beer based on when, how and why you are drinking.
If you plan on having a 'coldie' or two after mowing the lawn (for example) then throw a few Pale Lagers, or Low Alcohol beers in the fridge or esky ready for when you're done. This way you'll have all the enjoyment of a cold beer without masking or numbing out the complexity of a more complex beer - and in the process wondering why you paid twice the price for a stubbie of similar tasting beer.
However if you want to drink a nice complex Beglian Strong Dark Ale perhaps wait till dinner or even after dinner when you are willing to allow the beer to warm a little to release the complex aromas and flavours.
Beer is like Wine, Cheese or any form of cuisine. In order to experience the flavours and experience the creator originally intended you may have to adjust your way of thinking slightly. Hopefully this article has dispelled a few mis-conceptions regarding Beer serving temperatures as well as perhaps educating you a little. Of course as always we'd love to hear your thoughts should you agree, disagree or just have questions about the whys and hows.
Comment on this post!