[Sca-cooks] Twinkie Time

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Aug 2, 2009, at 6:05 PM, Audrey Bergeron-Morin wrote:

>> dispense his ales in smaller glasses so they'd warm up faster after  
>> being
>> stored in the same refrigerating machinery as the lagers... the  
>> pint just
>> didn't taste right, for reasons I couldn't immediately identify,  
>> and then I
>> realized it was just about 15 degrees too cold. I don't know if I
>> established a long-term solution, or if they were just mollifying  
>> the crazy
>> man.
>
> 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 think the problem is that ales can masquerade as lagers when served  
at lager temperatures, while most lagers [steam beer possibly  
excepted, if that can be considered a somewhat bowdlerized lager]  
don't really behave like an ale if served at ale temperatures.

I don't care for them at room temperature, but then typical American  
refrigerator temperatures (~40-45 F., roughly 4.5-7.5 C) are much too  
cold for the volatile, aromatic fermentation byproducts typically  
characteristic of ales. Too cold and it's all very one-dimensional,  
like listening to a symphony over the phone. Not having tried that IPA  
before, I wasn't sure if it simply wasn't very good, or something was  
wrong with that sample. I was glad it improved after warming up a bit,  
with the flavors of malt, apricot and licorice arriving better late  
than never, to back up the extreme hoppiness -- as I said, it was IPA).

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