14 Degrees!

[Diesel80]

Hi All,

love a drop of english ale.
A majority of my A/G brews have been some form of English style either by choice or by accident.

Current one is kegged an gassing in preparation for watching the cricket later.
Chesty set a 4 degrees, i normally drink at 6-7 degrees.

Was reading today that Real Ales should be drunk at 14 degrees.
Yikes, will it taste better at that temp?

I understand that my force carbed A/G is not the same as a keg/cask conditioned Real Ale but would i benefit flavour wise from consuming this beer at higher temps?

Certainly would oust the chill haze I have got on occaison (though this one has none of which to speak at 4 degrees).

Cheers,
D80

 

[donburke]

Hi All,

love a drop of english ale.
A majority of my A/G brews have been some form of English style either by choice or by accident.

Current one is kegged an gassing in preparation for watching the cricket later.
Chesty set a 4 degrees, i normally drink at 6-7 degrees.

Was reading today that Real Ales should be drunk at 14 degrees.
Yikes, will it taste better at that temp?

I understand that my force carbed A/G is not the same as a keg/cask conditioned Real Ale but would i benifit flavour wise from consuming this beer at higher temps?

Certainly would oust the chill haze I have got on occaison (though this one has none of which to speak at 4 degrees).

Cheers,
D80

drink it at 14 in winter, drink it cooler in summer (we are in australia after all)

pour half a glass, let it warm

pour another half glass, cold

taste test the 2 samples and you decide

 

[Thefatdoghead]

When I dank em in the UK in summer it was around 14deg in the cellars maybe even warmer and tasted fine to me. All the kegs in most of the old pubs were just sitting out in the open, no fridges or anything. Brings out the malt flavour more with warmer temps I reckon.

 

[Diesel80]

When I dank em in the UK in summer it was around 14deg in the cellars maybe even warmer and tasted fine to me. All the kegs in most of the old pubs were just sitting out in the open, no fridges or anything. Brings out the malt flavour more with warmer temps I reckon.

Hmm, i will try a glass warm tonight. Should be carbed tonight.
Could always up the chest freezer temp now the keg is carbed also. Nothing to lose really.

Hopefully it is maltier. Current beverage seems to be a little fruity atm, which was not the case out of the fermenter.
Probably too green to have settled right down anyway.

Next one due out of the fermenter this weekend will be chucked straight into keg and naturally carbed. Will drink this one warm and see how i like it.
Will be closer to the traditional Real Ale process, but i am expecting cloudy beer as a result of not CC prior.

Not sure i want to go to the extremes of a beer engine unless i get some smaller kegs. Apparrently you have to knock them off pretty quick once you start drawing pints.

Cheers,
D80

 

[felten]

H

Not sure i want to go to the extremes of a beer engine unless i get some smaller kegs. Apparrently you have to knock them off pretty quick once you start drawing pints.

Cheers,
D80

Not if you have an aspirator valve, connect it up to your gas line and it draws in co2 instead of air when you serve a pint.

 

[WarmBeer]

Hmm, i will try a glass warm tonight. Should be carbed tonight.
Could always up the chest freezer temp now the keg is carbed also. Nothing to lose really.

I had my chest freezer set to 7 deg C for a while, but it kept getting mouldy inside.

4 degrees seems to keep the mould from growing too quickly.

 

[Diesel80]

I had my chest freezer set to 7 deg C for a while, but it kept getting mouldy inside.

4 degrees seems to keep the mould from growing too quickly.

Jeez, this homebrew caper is just one big balancing act really isn't it.

good point Re: mould.

Will have to look further into these beer machines / valves.

Cheers,
D80

 

[lukiep8]

14 seems a bit high. You can understand drinking it at that temperature in the middle of an English winter, where it could be 0 degrees outside, but in Australia it's too high.

It also depends on style. Some English bitters should be drunk in the 6-8 mark, while the Old Ales 8-10. Of course, never ever drink a beer at -1 degree, unless you want that super crisp taste.

 

[Diesel80]

14 seems a bit high. You can understand drinking it at that temperature in the middle of an English winter, where it could be 0 degrees outside, but in Australia it's too high.

It also depends on style. Some English bitters should be drunk in the 6-8 mark, while the Old Ales 8-10. Of course, never ever drink a beer at -1 degree, unless you want that super crisp taste.

Just a follow up for those who are interested.

This particular A/G brew has been in the keg 1 week, fermented for 2 weeks and CC for 4 days, so is less that 4 weeks since i brewed it.

Last night i poured a pint, and drank it about 3-4 degrees. Beer had a slight twang to it (yes i said it! A/G twang!). Initially i put this down to being 'green beer taste', but the beer was pretty good either way.

I finished the pint, then had some water, dinner and more water etc before returning to the keezer. Poured a pint and let it sit for quite some time. Probably warmed to about 7-8 degrees by time i returned to it.

I drank this test subject and it tasted really smooth. Twang all gone, very malty taste, hop flavours were smoothed out somewhat. I was well impressed with the difference.

Keezer set to +6 degrees now for the remainder of this brews existance.

Cheers,
D80

 

[MarkBastard]

My kegerator is set to 4 degrees and I only have one regulator. I carbonate all styles at 2.2 volumes.

IMO accuracy to style isn't that important. It's how a beer tastes to you. I prefer my beers to be 4 degrees and 2.2 volumes.

Sometimes I'll pour a pint of bitter and let it sit for a while. I figure letting it sit reduces the carbonation and increases the temperature. Really depends on the beer as to whether it's nicer or not.

 

[Diesel80]

Its going to be interesting when my lagers hit the keezer soon.
Not sure how they will go 'warm'.

Time will tell.

And i agree, sh!t beer served warm will taste like sh!t warm beer.

D80

 

[mika]

Kegerator measured at 4 inside, pour from the tap into the glass, measure with stick thermometer ~6-7 (in summer anyway).
Having drunk the ales in England, 10-12 I could easily see, they're quite warm compared to grabbing a pint of Heineken.

 

[gravey]

I had my chest freezer set to 7 deg C for a while, but it kept getting mouldy inside.

4 degrees seems to keep the mould from growing too quickly.

4 degrees is far too cold to drink anything but megaswill IMHO - 8 degrees you really notice the hop and malt flavours a lot more....too cold kills flavours. Its the same with wine - 16 degress for red, around 10 degrees for a good white or champers and below 10 for cheap white, like sav blanc.

Personally, if you are getting mold in your fridge, it means you need to clean your fridge, not compromise on serving temp

 

[MarkBastard]

^ your personal preferences

 

[gravey]

Yes, hence the 'IMHO'.....though I think its pretty widely accepted that beer @ 4C strips out a lot of the flavour.....just like the serving temps for wine are widely accepted to maximise flavour by anyone in the wine industry.

If people dont want to taste the full spectrum of flavour in their beer, I have no problem with that

 

[WarmBeer]

4 degrees is far too cold to drink anything but megaswill IMHO - 8 degrees you really notice the hop and malt flavours a lot more....too cold kills flavours. Its the same with wine - 16 degress for red, around 10 degrees for a good white or champers and below 10 for cheap white, like sav blanc.

Personally, if you are getting mold in your fridge, it means you need to clean your fridge, not compromise on serving temp

Yes, I probably do need to clean out my fridge more often, but 8 degrees is not a good temperature for food storage. Beer is essentially a perishable food product, we just manage it's lifetime with inherent preservatives of alcohol, CO₂, low pH and oxygen barriers (keg/bottle).

So, I store and pour at 4 degrees, and either wait for the beer to warm naturally, or enjoy the journey to the bottom of the pint. I like to think I'm not so much of a problem drinker that I can't wait 5 minutes or so before drinking.

BTW: These guys know what they're talking about

 

[gravey]

LOL - I think you will be fine storing beer at 8C......or cellaring temps (14C) for that matter for extended periods. I have NO mold in my fridge and I rarely clean it, but when I do it gets nuked. I think you were on the right track having your fridge at 8ish degrees - its a shame you feel you need to have it colder, because you clearly like drinking your beer warmer than you have your fridge set at.

I have a few 1999 Coopers Vintage Ale's at home and they are drinking fine....pretty sure they werent stored at 4C for 12 years! There are many beers that benefit from age....I have an Imperial Porter that I will age until winter and I dont intend on keeping it in a fridge the whole time.

I'm sure the CSIRO know what they are talking about, but your link doesnt relate to storage of beer in the slightest. The alcohol in beer means it wont go 'off' as such so its not really perishable is it? it will change with age for sure, but your statement is pretty average (putting it kindly).

Most beer nerds will tell you that 7-10 is the ideal range. 4 degrees is probably ok for a wheat beer...or megaswill lagers. A great guide is here if you actually care about the taste of your beer: http://www.ratebeer.com/Story.asp?StoryID=479

 

[MarkBastard]

You use loaded words in an attempt to put others preferences down. At the end of the day, they are preferences.

You sound like a snotty wanker, particularly with your wine references.

If the flavour is better when it's warmer at least recognise there IS a trade off. It'll be less refreshing the warmer it gets too.

 

[gravey]

No need to resort to name calling just because I disagree with you mate. I draw a comparison to another alcoholic beverage and how serving temperature is considered quite important (as it is with a lot of beer enthusiasts too) and you use that as a an oppurtunity to attack me? Nice. Anyone who drinks wine is a wanker eh?

I'm not putting other people's preferences down, just pointing out that its pretty widely accepted that serving at 4C will knock out a lot of flavour - if that's what you like then go for it. Personally I think you may as well just not add in any hops at all to your Ales.

There's a time and a place for a really cold beer - as you point out. You accept that I am correct in the fact you are losing flavour, then get all upset about the fact I pointed it out....stop being so precious, you agree and yet you dont like it? When I want refreshment as opposed to flavour I'll set my fridge lower, like when I make something light such as a wheat beer, which has very little hop flavour, so it really doesnt matter.

in the end, like I said, do what you want.....but do a taste test....you might be pleasently surprised. I know I turned my fridge up when I started to do comparisons

 

[fergi]

i have my tempmate set for 3 deg, its in the shed and quite often i drink outside in the heat while i am stuffing around the backyard, i find when i used to have it on 6 deg by the time i finish the glass its too warm near the bottom to be refreshing.winter time i up the temp to about 6 deg ,so i think it just depends on individual preferences.

we arent all going to make the same beer and serve it at the same temperature.
cheers fergi