- Messages
- 17,190
- Location
- New York City
Pay attention GHT, I almost read that as Heineken for breakfast. One of the fallacies about us Brits is that we like warm beer. Not so, what we don't like is beer so cold that ice crystals sear the tongue.
In a bar, in Savannah GA, the beer that I ordered came as a glass of ice. This was to chill the glass. The ice was dispensed and replaced by ice cold beer. It was just alien on my palate. Then I made the classic faux pas, on ordering a second beer I asked for the glass not to be chilled.
"YOU LIKE WARM BEER?" Said the waitress, like I had committed a felony. "Not warm, but not arctic cold either." A kick from under the table told me to stop digging the hole.
Elsewhere, after that, I just had a glass of Merlot. You don't chill red wine.
For me, it's not an either or but facts and circumstances. The colder the beer, IMHO, the less nuances I'll notice in the flavor. So, for a rich interesting beer, like an oatmeal stout, I prefer it less cold (not warm) so that I can most appreciate the flavor intricacies. But at a ballgame on a hot day, the colder the Budweiser the better as that's about a generic beer taste and the cooling effects of drinking something really cold.