What a find ..

[freddie]

warm beer versus cold beer i think has much to do with the color of the beer being consumed, probably like wines.
The darker ones can be served at warmer temps...the lighter the color the cooler the better i find

As a general rule you've got it spot on. However, just to confuse things, there are some light coloured British 'real ales' which look just like lager (Badger's Tanglefoot is a good one) but shouldn't be served too cold. On the other hand a dark beer which wouldn't have been served cold years ago is Guinness, but now it's served through a chiller, and if that wasn't cold enough they even do a version called 'Extra Cold'. I love Guiness, but don't like it too cold, so I always used to buy a bottle off the shelf, (or a bottle of light ale, pale ale or brown ale.) But now those days have gone, and the only bottled beers you can buy in a pub are lagers and alcopops served from a fridge. I'm shivering just thinking about it !

[Andrew Green]

"I find that different beers/ales taste better at different temperatures, same as with wine."

You will notice different nuances of different brews at different temperatures. The smells change along with that. Some beers ARE better at different temps. Some round out well through warming up a little as your drink it (just temperatures attempting to equalize). I've had some really strong beers at close to room temperature, and they taste perfectly fine. Other beers go over well nice and chilled (something citrus-like on a hot day such as Hoegaarden).

That Sporran Warmer sounds like a tasty find. It does say "Winter Ale" on the bottle, so it is very likely a seasonal batch.

[irishrob]

Many years ago I used the partake in sportscar rallies and belonged to various clubs and organizations. A goodly portion of the older cars were British made, MG, Austin, Sunbeam and the like. Those cars and most other British vehicles were notorious for electrical problems and REAL STORYwas that the reason the Brits drank their beer warm was that the same company, Lucas , made their refrigerators as well as their automobile wiring!!