Serving temps

[Spursman]

[Spursman]

Came across the above by accident.  Always thought beer had to be ice cold but after reading this tried a pilsner at about 5° and it was definitely better.

Been doing it wrong for 45 years

[Pale Man]

In winter that's probably fine. But for me beer has to be ice cold no matter what style.

[Otto Von Blotto]

My keg fridge is set at 0. I know the flavours pop out more if it's warmer but in the middle of summer it'd be at room temperature in 5 seconds if I used those temps. 

[Spursman]

18 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

19 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

My keg fridge is set at 0. I know the flavours pop out more if it's warmer but in the middle of summer it'd be at room temperature in 5 seconds if I used those temps. 

 

OVB - ya just have to down them quicker mate.

[Hairy]

My keg fridge is set at 6 degrees, although I don't think it is accurate. It may be a touch colder.

I once went to a pub that was advertising "The coldest beers in NSW" and had little displays above each tap showing 0 degree or -1 degree. I bought a 150 Lashes and had to wait 20 minutes to drink it. I don't think their marketing was aimed at me.

[Bribie G]

I grew my beer gland in the UK and in my early 20s I worked at the Cardiff Steelworks in Wales. There was a pub just over the road from the gates so obviously they did a roaring trade. All beer was served at cellar temperature that I guess would have been about 9 or 10 degrees. Later, lagers passed through a sort of flash chiller at the bar but there was no concept of "cold rooms" as here in OZ.

One winter it got so cold that the subsoil started to freeze and there were complaints about the cold beer. Microwave ovens had just become available to pubs and cafes etc to heat snack foods so a popular drink became "a pint and a flash please". About ten seconds did the trick but in my pub the barmaids could fit six pint glasses in their microwave to deal with the shift-change rush.

[Aussiekraut]

Yeah, my dad used to store his beer just in the basement, where it was cool. I saw that as perfectly normal but nowadays, I ask him if he can offer other warm drinks besides beer  

My keg fridge is set to 2C but does hover around 3 most of the time. I can live with that.

 

[Spursman]

28 minutes ago, Bribie G said:

One winter it got so cold that the subsoil started to freeze and there were complaints about the cold beer.

Yup, grew up just outside London. Quite a poor family, lived in a council house with no insulation and no central heating either. Was quite common in winter to scrape ice off the INSIDE of the bedroom windows in the morning and the water in the toilet bowl to freeze over. Gotta love the Sunshine Coast .

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 hours ago, Pale Man said:

In winter that's probably fine. But for me beer has to be ice cold no matter what style.

I agree Beer ain't Beer unless it's nice & cold

[ozdevil]

I think certain styles need to be at different temps

Ales and Lagers i think need to be nice  cold for me

stouts and porters    i find  around 5-6 degrees it will start bringing out the flavours more

but my fridge is set to 0 degrees for my beers   as i mainly do ip's and pale ales

[Classic Brewing Co]

14 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

I agree Beer ain't Beer unless it's nice & cold

I worked in Pubs when I was younger but my favorite was always the Front Bar where you would meet all types of drinkers but their quest was united, they all wanted the coldest beer & for some wanted it filled to the top - none of this ice cream stuff they would say. If you go into a Saloon/Dining type Bar you get a different clientele whom probably didn't mind if their Pilsner was warmer or how much it cost because they were their with family, friends or trying to chat someone up. Just for the hell of it I looked this up & it is of course another's opinion but points out a few interesting ideas on serving temperatures.

What's the Best Temperature for Beer? Guide to Serving Temperatures

 

Ads showing beer being pulled out of ice buckets have made many people think beer must be consumed at sub-zero temperatures. But, this isn’t the case for all beer. So, what is the best temperature for beer?

Traditionally, on a hot summers day in Australia, beer and an ice cold esky go hand-in-hand. While this is great for light summer beers, the best serving temperature changes depending on the type of beer.

When beer is served too cold, the temperature affects the release of the flavours and aromas. Cold temperatures slow down the volatilization of aromatic compounds which makes them remain in the beer. Containing the compounds can lead to the beer losing taste and appearing as thin.

While cold temperatures can suppress flavour and aromas, it also brings out characteristics like dryness, bitterness and carbonation, which explains why the light summer beers always seem to quench our thirst when served ice cold in on a hot Australian summer’s day.

For lovers of craft beer, the flavours and aromas are everything. Continued growth in craft beer consumption suggest that beer drinkers are choosing quality, great-tasting beer as their drink of choice. It’s important to know the correct beer fridge temperature required to release the full range of flavours and aromas that were intended when originally brewed.

Want to find the perfect beer temperature in celsius for your favourite brew? Read on to find out which temperature your beer fridge should be set at.
 

What’s the Best Temperature for Pale Lagers/Pilsners?

Most medium to medium-full bodied beers such as pale lagers and pilsners are brewed with high carbonation and are meant to deliver a crisp finish. These beers place a strong importance on mouthfeel instead of flavour. Ideally, pale lagers and pilsners should be served at refrigerator temperature, which is 3 degrees celcius in Australia. Nothing disappoints quicker than a stale pale lager or pilsner, to avoid this mistake don’t serve warmer than 5 degrees celsius.
 

The Ideal Temperature for Pale Ale? 8 Degrees Celsius

What is the ideal beer temperature for the most consumed beer style among among Australian craft beer drinkers? A good pale ale delivers complex, hop-forward, malty flavours.  Pale ales develop strong flavours because of the warm-fermentation method used when brewing. The correct temperature will help release these complex flavours. To best bring out the hops, serve pale ale slightly warmer than refrigerator temperature - around 8 degrees celsius.
 

India Pale Ale (IPA) is Best at 8 to 10 degrees Celcius

The Beer Cartel 2018 Craft Beer survey showed Indian Pale Ale (IPA) as the favourite beer style for craft beer enthusiasts. There are many similarities in the brewing process between IPA and pale ales and the suggested serving temperature doesn't change too much. Often, IPAs will have a higher alcohol content and more hops than pale ales. As the beer slightly warms, the hops are intensified. IPAs are ideally served between 8 - 10 degrees celsius.
 

Is Warm Beer Bad?

Typically, full-bodied beers with complex flavours are best enjoyed at a warm temperature. As a general rule, the warmer the beer, the more flavours are exposed. As mentioned earlier, the volatilization of aromas and flavours increase as the beer warms which lets you experience the ingredients in greater detail. Imperial stouts and brown ale are packed with rich ingredients and are popular beers in England. So, it’s no surprise that England has forever been associated with drinking warm beer. Stouts, old ales and dark ales are ideally served between 12 - 15 degrees celsius.
 

Is Beer Better Cold or Warm? Decide Based on The Style of Beer and Your Personal Taste

These are guidelines to help you get the best taste and aromas from your beer of choice. Nonetheless, your taste buds may enjoy a crisp, ice cold pale ale and a warm summer lager. Make sure you experiment with your beer temperature to find what you enjoy. Remember, restaurants and bars tend to store all beer at refrigerator temperature so next time you order an IPA let it sit for five minutes before drinking it, you may be pleasantly surprised.

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, Bribie G said:

I grew my beer gland in the UK and in my early 20s I worked at the Cardiff Steelworks in Wales. There was a pub just over the road from the gates so obviously they did a roaring trade. All beer was served at cellar temperature that I guess would have been about 9 or 10 degrees. Later, lagers passed through a sort of flash chiller at the bar but there was no concept of "cold rooms" as here in OZ.

One winter it got so cold that the subsoil started to freeze and there were complaints about the cold beer. Microwave ovens had just become available to pubs and cafes etc to heat snack foods so a popular drink became "a pint and a flash please". About ten seconds did the trick but in my pub the barmaids could fit six pint glasses in their microwave to deal with the shift-change rush.

Some of the places I have travelled to have served up beer so cold there was ice in it & of course no head & full of bubbles, it would give you a toothache drinking it.

A lot of Rural/Outback Pubs have a roaring Stubby/Can trade & there are always tubs/bins filled with ice keep the beer ice cold for the regulars & passers by.

I have a couple of English Mates who still complain about the temp of the beer - & everything else !!

[Thirsty Jim]

My uncles used to have a coolstore under the floor of the kitchen.  There was like a trapdoor. under the table.   But the secret was getting into the FJ and driving down Glenferrie Road to the Malvern Iceworks where we would pick up a block of ice that was almost as big as me.  I would rest my feet on it on the drive back to nannas and it was chilly.  It would go down the hole with the beer...

Fast forawrd to my twenties and I spent a year or two in the deep bush where refrigeration options were limited for beer.  But I would brew it just the same and try to cool it by putting bottles into a milk crate and wedging it between rocks in the river.  That was where I developed a tolerance for less than chilly beer ... there was bugger all else to do except stare into the fire. 

I wasted time in pubs where the rule was the colder the better.  I think it is like cheese sauce makes anything edible, chilling anything to near freezing makes anything drinkable.  

These days I have a taste for darker ales and my standard procedure is to keep the chill in the fridge but take my time about opening and leave the bottle out on the bar for seconds.  I find that my seconds are tastier than the chillier firsts but I enjoy both.  It is a bit like letting your wine breathe. 

Come Summer I return to the brighter beers and I wont them cold and I want them now.  It's seasonal.

[Classic Brewing Co]

11 minutes ago, Thirsty Jim said:

These days I have a taste for darker ales and my standard procedure is to keep the chill in the fridge but take my time about opening and leave the bottle out on the bar for seconds.  I find that my seconds are tastier than the chillier firsts but I enjoy both.  It is a bit like letting your wine breathe. 

Come Summer I return to the brighter beers and I wont them cold and I want them now.  It's seasonal.

I would agree with that, my Bar Fridge is set to very cold & I usually select the bottle I want & it will sit on the Bar for a few minutes while I select a glass.

Flavours do develop even in the glass after pouring & sometimes I don't re-fridge the bottle.

Let's face it when you take meat out of the fridge to cook it is desirable to leave it on the bench for 20 minutes or so to come to room temperature ( of course using common sense in regard to the temperature & the type of meat )

[Malter White]

It's your beer. I say you drink it at what temperature suits you.

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, MUZZY said:

It's your beer. I say you drink it at what temperature suits you.

Fair call @MUZZY there are no rules in your own home. 

[Bribie G]

2 hours ago, Spursman said:

Yup, grew up just outside London. Quite a poor family, lived in a council house with no insulation and no central heating either. Was quite common in winter to scrape ice off the INSIDE of the bedroom windows in the morning and the water in the toilet bowl to freeze over. Gotta love the Sunshine Coast .

We used to get that in our Council flat. The ice used to form lacy patterns like ferns on the insides of the windows and we would excitedly say "Jack Frost has visited in the night".

[Bribie G]

50 minutes ago, Thirsty Jim said:

My uncles used to have a coolstore under the floor of the kitchen.  There was like a trapdoor. under the table.   But the secret was getting into the FJ and driving down Glenferrie Road to the Malvern Iceworks where we would pick up a block of ice that was almost as big as me.  I would rest my feet on it on the drive back to nannas and it was chilly.  It would go down the hole with the beer...

Fast forawrd to my twenties and I spent a year or two in the deep bush where refrigeration options were limited for beer.  But I would brew it just the same and try to cool it by putting bottles into a milk crate and wedging it between rocks in the river.  That was where I developed a tolerance for less than chilly beer ... there was bugger all else to do except stare into the fire. 

I wasted time in pubs where the rule was the colder the better.  I think it is like cheese sauce makes anything edible, chilling anything to near freezing makes anything drinkable.  

These days I have a taste for darker ales and my standard procedure is to keep the chill in the fridge but take my time about opening and leave the bottle out on the bar for seconds.  I find that my seconds are tastier than the chillier firsts but I enjoy both.  It is a bit like letting your wine breathe. 

Come Summer I return to the brighter beers and I wont them cold and I want them now.  It's seasonal.

When I lived in the North of England in my late 20s when lager was becoming the main canned beer I would stick my cans of Stella Artois out of the windows in the flower box in the winter evenings. Even used to work in the spring and autumn.

[Otto Von Blotto]

4 hours ago, Spursman said:

OVB - ya just have to down them quicker mate.

I actually experienced it inadvertently when my old kegerator decided it wouldn't chill the beer below about 3 degrees anymore. By the time it went through the semi warm font and tap into the room temperature glass it would have been about 5-6 degrees, maybe more, and only got warmer. To be honest in the summer I didn't really enjoy it as much as I did when I could get them proper cold. Now they probably start about 2 degrees in the glass and slowly warm up, but I enjoy them more when it's hot. 

[Spursman]

3 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

What's the Best Temperature for Beer? Guide to Serving Temperatures

Very comprehensive and informative,  Classic. 

[RDT2]

I have my kegerator set on 4degrees at this time it seems pretty good at that temp see how it goes in summer.

I remember working on a farm years ago it in the middle of summer, it would of been about 40degrees in the paddock and the old bloke I was working with pulled the Ute up and said “ya thirsty?” He jumped out the popped the seat forward and pulled a can of Swan Gold out from behind the seat. I said “I’ll be right and he sculled it. I was like wow that’s thirsty. I hate to think how hot the can was I don’t think he cared for serving temp???

[Red devil 44]

Both my keezer & Kegerator are under my house, which is always quite cool even in summer.

‘Both are set to 3.5 degrees, which seems to work well. Initially I played around with temps but I think I have them to where I want them now. 
But it all depends on locations, as in where you live, ambient temps and location of the Kegerator/keezer I guess. 

[Graculus]

Obviously this won't be popular, but in the winter months and maybe other times.

I'll wander out to the garage and grab a bottle of beer out of my store to drink.

Stouts, Dark Ales and SMOTY are lovely, and no need to go in a fridge.

 

[ben 10]

I served a beer yesterday, it was easily 28°