A Matter of Degrees—Serving Temperatures of Beer

Ice-cold beer loses its subtlety of flavor. You may prefer that if you're drinking bad beer. But if you just laid down $10 for a six-pack of English porter, you want to serve it properly. This is most important if you're conducting a formal tasting.

The average refrigerator keeps food at about 40°F. At this temperature, beer will release less carbonation, and hence, less aroma. Liquid this cold will stun your taste buds, numbing them. So serve lighter beers at 45°, darker beers at 50°, and real dark beers at 55°. The secret is in the glass. As with wine, the appreciation of a good beer depends on the look, the smell, and the taste.
The best way to record that information in your brain I by first pouring the beer into a proper glass. I've poured one beer into two separate glasses and have gotten two distinct flavor impressions. I know it sounds weird, but a tulip-shaped Belgian beer glass, the kind recommended by the brewer, worker better than a standard-issue English pub glass. Rather than debate the geometry and physics of each glass, I try to stick with the right glassware for each beer.

For your simple, everyday beers, a simple pint glass or mug with a handle is great. For those pricey imported brews and rich old ales, something a little, shall we say glassier, is called for. Here's a quick class on the type of glass used. English pint glasses should be used for pale ales, IPAs, brown ales, porters, and stouts. The classic Belgian glass, tulip-shaped glass with wide mouth should be use with Duvel or other strong Belgian ales. The outward curve of the glass allows the imbiber to consume the beer under the deep layer of foam. The Brandy snifter is definitely use for the serving of imperial stout, old ales, and barley wines.

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