drinking temp preferences for beer

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woody34

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Before I started homebrewing (a few months ago), I preferred to drink my beer very cold. On the verge of freezing even. With my first few home brews, I would refridgerate them and then poor into a frosty mug. However, I'm learning that you get a lot more flavor (especially my sweet stout) with a chilled beer, but not super cold.

I was just curious as to what eveyone else prefers. At times, pouring into a frosted mug caused excessive head and even frozen head...not good.

Does anyone drink room temp beer?
 
I enjoy drinking stouts and some IPAs a little colder if not room temp. But I think that's me.

I like lagers and malts really cold.
 
Room temp, no. Cellar temp, yes. A lot of Belgians and pretty much anything British should be served around 55F. Pilsners and the like should be around 40.

Of couse, it'll warm up as you're drinking, so I like to start a little colder than the "proper" temperature for the ales. My kegerator stays around 42 so I just drink lagers quickly and savor the ales.
 
A good rule of thumb that has worked for me (ymmv) is the darker the beer the warmer you drink it. If I have a beer that's too cold, its ok though...it'll warm up shortly
 
Found this on some months ago on google, apologies for forgetting who to give credit - perhaps someone will recognize it and give credit where it's due:

Beer is best served in between “ice cold” and room temperature. There are a lot of generalization made about beers of different colours, most of which are false. However, when it comes to temperature, colour seems to make a big difference. Lighter-coloured beers are generally best served cold. At the warmest end are the big, dark beers like Quadrupels, Imperial Stouts and Barley Wines. At cellar temperature are English-style beers and in the middle is just about everything else.



Very cold (0-4C/32-39F): Any beer you don’t actually want to taste. Pale Lager, Malt Liquor, Canadian-style Golden Ale and Cream Ale, Low Alcohol, Canadian, American or Scandinavian-style Cider.



Cold (4-7C/39-45F): Hefeweizen, Kristalweizen, Kölsch, Premium Lager, Pilsner, Classic German Pilsner, Fruit Beer, brewpub-style Golden Ale, European Strong Lager, Berliner Weisse, Belgian White, American Dark Lager, sweetened Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Duvel-types



Cool (8-12C/45-54F): American Pale Ale, Amber Ale, California Common, 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/54-57F): Bitter, Premium Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Saison, Unblended Lambic, Flemish Sour Ale, Bière de Garde, Baltic Porter, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Strong Ale, Weizen Bock, Bock, Foreign Stout, Zwickel/Keller/Landbier, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale, American Strong Ale, Mild, English-style Cider



Warm (14-16C/57-61F): Barley Wine, Abt/Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Mead



Hot (70C/158F): Quelque Chose, Liefmans Glühkriek, dark, spiced winter ales like Daleside Morocco Ale.
Click to expand...

I like mine between Cold and Cool.
 
I like lagers & pilsners thoroughly cold. EB,ESB,& other malty types served at about 50F. The get better when they warm up to about 55F. Warmer or hot,no.
 
I prefer my beer just after it warms a bit from the fridge, BTW, you should not pour your beer into a frosty mug unless it's a BMC beer- the frosted glass zaps the carbonation and head retention and kills the hop aroma pretty quick. One of my huge pet peeves when I order a good craft beer and they bring me a frosty mug, no thanks!
 
duboman said:
I prefer my beer just after it warms a bit from the fridge, BTW, you should not pour your beer into a frosty mug unless it's a BMC beer- the frosted glass zaps the carbonation and head retention and kills the hop aroma pretty quick. One of my huge pet peeves when I order a good craft beer and they bring me a frosty mug, no thanks!
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Agree totally. But only realized that recently. A frosted mug of beer looks awesome but conceals a lot of flavor and aroma.
 
I like all my beers to start out very cold. My beer fridge is set around 40-42. All beer warms up eventually. I enjoy the way the flavor changes as it warms.
 
I generally pull beer out of the fridge a little before I want to drink it, usually two bottles. Generally I'll open one and drink it over the course of making dinner, or anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes after pulling it out of the fridge if I'm doing something else. The other I drink during dinner if I went through the first one fast enough. Sometimes I forget to finish the first, sometimes I'll get a couple more beers. Any forgotten beer gets turned into something else if I find it the next day, generally sauce for dinner that night or bread. Nothing gets wasted.

Lagers and cider are an exception. Those get pulled individually and opened immediately.
 
I like mine very cold. Unless its really cold out, then I don't mind it int he 40's But there's no way I would prefer a warmer beer when it's 90+ out just because you can taste it a little better. As others said it warms up quickly anyways.
 
I have to agree with justintoxicated, I like my beer cold. I do like cold glasses. I enjoy the head retention and all that, but living in Southeast TX my conditioning all my life to like cold beer has been too successful. A frosted glass is very helpful when outdoors in the heat/humidity. I can't think of any carbonated beverages that I enjoy warm, or over 40-45. I prefer in the 30's, maybe a low carbonated beer in the low 40's, but when it's warm I really hate how the beer turns instantly foamy in the mouth, it's very frustrating. But then again, I do not prefer hoppy beers, I like a little bitterness, but tend to enjoy more malty beers so killing the hop flavor is a benefit to me.
 
Malty beers don't generally have a lot of hop flavor,not part of the style. English beers in general are served warmer,but not literally warm. Being maltier,low carb ales they're best at 50-55F. That's just the way it is.
It's just that our beer culture was turned upside down by blasted lagers in the 19th century. They're the ones responsible for all this ice cold mantra we were taught since we were young. I know that's tough to put aside,but worth it. I like a cold one on a hot day too. But ice cold ESB is just morally wrong.
 
unionrdr said:
Malty beers don't generally have a lot of hop flavor,not part of the style. English beers in general are served warmer,but not literally warm. Being maltier,low carb ales they're best at 50-55F. That's just the way it is.
It's just that our beer culture was turned upside down by blasted lagers in the 19th century. They're the ones responsible for all this ice cold mantra we were taught since we were young. I know that's tough to put aside,but worth it. I like a cold one on a hot day too. But ice cold ESB is just morally wrong.
Click to expand...

It's not against my moral fibers, I'm drinking a slightly warmer beer right now, and it's great, but it cooled off to about 78 inside so I don't mind it as much. I still think it would be more refreshing colder though, and anyways beer sure warms up to 70 fast enough That I prefer to keepem cold.
 
Justintoxicated said:
It's not against my moral fibers, I'm drinking a slightly warmer beer right now, and it's great, but it cooled off to about 78 inside so I don't mind it as much. I still think it would be more refreshing colder though, and anyways beer sure warms up to 70 fast enough That I prefer to keepem cold.
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I guess it depends on what you're going for. I don't think anyone drinks a porter because it's "refreshing." Personally, I tend to switch beer styles as the weather changes rather than deviate from the appropriate serving temperature.

So in the summer, when I want a refreshing brew, I turn to a cold Pils, Koelsch, cream ale, or the like. As fall approaches, it's time for the bitters, stouts, bocks, and such.
 

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