By Jamie Barrie T he answer is very simple, “No.” But you know that we could not stop there. I remember back in college when I got my first apartment always putting beer mugs in the freezer to get them ready for their next beer pour, but then I was drinking much different beer than the craft beers I pour these days and if you are pouring them into a frozen mug, you’re actually doing your beer and your palate a massive disservice as the frozen mug will instantly kill a craft beer’s carbonation and flavor. In fact, the second you pour a craft beer into a frozenmug, you’ve released probably 80% of the carbonation of that beer. All the flavors that were put into the beer by the brewer are gone as you have essentially flattened your beer instantly, so you are not getting the true flavor of the beer. To get the most out of craft beer, you should serve it at a warmer tem- perature than you’d think. There’s a reason we enjoy our coffee hot, our red wine room temperature, and our white wine cold. And the same is true for beer. Different styles of beer taste better to most people at different temperatures. • 35–40°F (2–4°C): Mass market light lagers • 40–45°F (4–7°C): Czech and German Pilsners, Munich Helles, wheat beers, and Kölsch • 45–50°F (7–10°C): IPAs, American pale ales, porters, and most stouts • 50–55°F (10–13°C): Belgian ales, sour ales, Bocks, English bitters and milds, Scottish ales • 55–60°F (13–16°C): Barleywines, imperial stouts, Belgian strong ales, and Doppelbocks When in doubt remember this rule of thumb: light body and low alcohol beer tastes better cold while full body and high alcohol examples are better warmer. So whether you are filling your growlers at your favorite craft brewery or bottling your own homebrew, it is most unlikely that you do not have different refrigerators for each style of beer in your mancave. So the easiest thing to do to enjoy your beer at its best is to pour and let it warm to your liking before drinking to get the most flavor out of your beer, unless you are grabbing a macro beer then feel free to pour it in a frosty mug as usually colder means better. HERE ARE SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES:
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2017
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