What a find ..

[Derek]

Whilst clearing out the pantry yesterday I found a bottle of 'Sporran Warmer' real ale. It was way out of date, but nonetheless I stuck it in the fridge for a while and then opened it. It tastes really good. Its brewed by the Bidge of Allen Brewery, but I cannot find it in the new 2006 Beer Guide. I think I posted a piccy a long time ago about it but heres some from yesterday.
Iechyd Da
Derek

[davedove]

That's a great name for a beer!

[Graham]

I have my brother in law here right now from Norwich, he's complaining about how cold the beer is here.

Why do the British like warm beer?
Aussie beer would COOL the sporran, not warm it!!

[GMan]

Great find Derek. Glad that it sttill tastes good either warm or cold.

[GlassMan]

I have my brother in law here right now from Norwich, he's complaining about how cold the beer is here.

Why do the British like warm beer?
Aussie beer would COOL the sporran, not warm it!!

There's actually a very good reason for the British to like their beer warm, or at least their Bitter served warm.

Most beers on the market, such as Pilsners, Lagers, etc., are cask fermented, meaning that they complete the fermentation in the brewery prior to being placed in either bottles or kegs.

Bitters are a rather unique beer in that they are bottle fermented. The yeast is added to the beer at the brewery, but the yeast are allowed to remain alive and are bottled with the beer to continue the fermentation process. It is this bottle fermentation that creates the characteristic bitter flavor and is also the reason that bitter improves with age like a wine.

So how do the makers of non-Bitter kill the yeast before bottling? They chill it! Yes, by taking beer down to what the rest of the world considers the proper serving temperature the yeast is killed and all fermentation stops. So if you chill a bottle or keg of bitter you immediately destroy it. It has to remain at room temperature until the moment it is poured from the draft or the bottle is opened. Hence it is served warm.

So the characteristic British pint of Bitter wouldn't be Bitter if they chilled it.

So the answer is not that it's any problem with the British palate, it's simply a requirement of the beer.

Yes, I've spent way too much time studying the history of beermaking too. But it's a very interesting thing.

[Derek]

I agree with Graham .. Personally I would sooner my beers be more chilled than warm. I'm sure theres someone on X Marks that can explain why 'British Beers' should be kept at a higher temp than a lower one. For me, there is nothing worse than a 'really warm pint of bitter'. I can only guess why today, when you go into most of the pubs, they also offer 'creamflow beers', which are chilled and pumped by gas. I still prefer the hand pump one's over these (Real Ale), even if it means warmer beer, as the taste is so different and they are so much sweeter. They also offer Guniness 'ordinary', or 'extra cold' in most places too. But neither of them compare with the Guinness you get in Ireland, as I'm sure many of you have experienced. Graham, they showed some clips the other evening of old television adverts. Do you remember the 'John Smiths' .. the ones with the dog. I forget the actors name .. but they showed one or two of them. They are still brill.
Iechyd Da
Derek

[Macman]

I find that different beers/ales taste better at different temperatures, same as with wine. Most pubs here serve all their beers at the same temperature, which I find is too cold for most of the beers I like. A few places have different temperatures for their tap beers. Even the warmest, though, I would probably say is "cool", not room temperature.

[Schultz]

According to CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), the recognized authority for cask-conditioned, hand pulled bitter, the optimal temperature for real ale is 54-57 F, somewhat cooler than room temperature. Anything warmer will do just as much to ruin the experience of the ale, as the natural carbonation will suffer as well as the taste. A colder temperature will often mask the intended taste of the ale, which can be just as ruinsome as improper carbonation.

Lagers, of course, should be served cold, as this is how they are intended to be served when brewed.

Artificially carbonated ales can be served somewhat colder than real ales, but not too much, or you'll mask the flavor.

yes, my name is Mike, and I'm a beer nut.

[Macman]

Exactly, Mike. That's the temperature I'm usually shooting for. The president of our local CAMRA chapter will often ask our server to have his freshly-pulled pint nuked for 30 seconds if we're in a place that serves everything icy cold. I just cup my hands around the glass and order my second one right away so the chill comes off by the time I'm ready for it!

[davedove]

The "rules" for the temperatures to serve different beverages were developed back when "room temperature" was on average 10-15 degrees cooler than nowadays. Thus, when it says to serve at room temperature, it doesn't mean 70 degrees, it means 55-60. Just my two cents. Like a lot of things, the conditions have changes but the "rules" remain the same.;-)