h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Amber ale in the fridge? Really? Well okay, but I tend to store ales in a reasonably cool cupboard. I tend to think it's best consumed at room temperature or not far from it.

Different beers are better served at different temperatures, there's actually a lot of science behind it to do with the rate at which they give off their aromas (you also really need the correct glass to fully appreciate this), but also different beers are designed for different ambient temperatures. For instance, an American style IPA served through a flash chiller is ideal in the heat of California, but served in the same manner over here in the UK seems a touch too cold. Which it is, because it's not warming up in the glass as quick as it would back in the States.

I've got a shelf in my kitchen, against an outside wall that I use in the winter, and a fridge set to cool in the summer for my beers.

And yes, I have lots of different sorts of glasses too

I've never been convinced that the shape of the glass makes *that* much difference. Most beer I will drink straight from the bottle, but if not, any watertight receptacle will do. I have been known to drink win from coffee mugs.

Trust me, I could sit you down with certain beers and different shaped glasses and prove it makes a difference.

In Belgium, if they haven't got the right glass for the particular beer, they generally won't serve you the beer.

It has been shown that when connoisseurs are served white wine in a red bottle, they describe it as if it were a red. If the bottle it comes from can make so much difference to your expereince, then I'm sure the glass you drink your beer from can, too.

For what it is worth, Australian beers are typically sold in 375ml bottles or cans and have a typical ABV of about 4.5%. Obviously it varies (and new age beers are now sold in 330ml bottles to make more money).

They are drunk very, very cold because if you could taste them, in most cases you would never buy them again.

"Trust me, I could sit you down with certain beers and different shaped glasses and prove it makes a difference."

It's not an idle threat. If you knew how many beers* I'd watched get slightly warmer and flatter because he's on one about bloody glasses...








*It's three.

Bob, I guess I could store my ale in a reasonably cool cupboard, but this is Oklahoma - there is no such thing as a reasonably cool cupboard!

Pastey, letting it warm in the glass in the states? Only if your drinking it at home - the "style" now seems to be :frosted" glasses. Most restaurants & bars seem to think they need to keep their glasses in a freezer so they come out chilled. You put the beer in it (it already has a coating of ice) & you get slush - with NO, I mean ZERO (ZED??) taste. I guess it works OK for anything with "Lite" in the name or maybe the standard 'muricun "beer", but for any real beer (or ale or stout), it sort of ruins the fun. I usually ask them to find a glass that isn't "frosted", which usually means something straight back from the dishwasher (& usually hot to the touch). The other alternative is usually drinking it out of the bottle, so the draft option is therefore eliminated.

I was in the States earlier this year, and was extremely lucky to have a knowledgeable guide (Happy Nerd) for part of it, and an equally willing guide (Witty Moniker) for another part. The middle part was stumbling around a bit.
But we went to some pretty good pubs and brew pubs.

And believe me, you could serve it in a glass made of ice, but compared to the ambient temperature of Manchester in the height of summer, California warms its beers up *very* quickly

Since you're here, Pastey, I will just mention that I'm seeing several potential Quotes of the Day in this thread. I'll leave it up to you to pick them out.

Just send them in Bob