[Sca-cooks] warm beer, the 19th C ice trade

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Aug 3, 2009, at 11:25 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> <<< A man after my own heart. A good beer (especially ale) should be
> served about the same temperature as a good red wine. And I can't seem
> to get people to *get it*!!! >>>
>
> I don't agree, but then that maybe why I prefer white wines to red.

It may not be a coincidence, either, that ales are, for the most part,  
not from your part of the world, Stefan. IPA and Russian Imperial  
Stout are two exceptions to the basic rule that ales are for temperate  
and cold climates, and beers such as lagers are more appropriate for  
warmer climates.

Here, try this analogy: does chilled chili taste good, or would that  
totally screw up the flavor? At the wrong temperature, weird things  
happen to the fats and the spices, and they are not presented at their  
best, right?

Ales contain a buncha chemicals that are byproducts of a relatively  
warm, relatively quick fermentation; these chemicals are a major part  
of the distinctive flavor of a good ale. While lagers also contain  
volatile esters, they are usually different chemicals, and achieved  
differently, and they're the kind of chemicals that are easier to  
taste when they're cold. The stuff in ales is all too often diminished  
in flavor if served very cold.

Luckyily for you, the beer in Texas is usually lager or some other  
bottom-fermented beer, which is really good cold.

Adamantius






"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter