Temperature | Glassware | Pour 1 | Pour 2

Dear lowly bartender/publican: Don't be offended by this next section, we're not talking about you. We're talking about the place across the street from you. You know, that joint that pours foamy, industrial, pale lager into frozen mugs. Perhaps you can teach them something. Thus, we offer the following tips to maximize your ability to enlighten the unwashed masses. A little education goes a long way. Please enjoy! (Preferably with a beer!)

TEMPERATURE
Drinking an ice cold beer is akin to sucking on an ice cube; it's best left for burns and injuries. It's simple physics: ice cold beer numbs the tongue and the taste buds attached to it, i.e., you ain't gonna taste nuthin! Which is exactly why industrial breweries want you to drink their 'refreshing' product ice cold. If you were to actually taste their beer, you'd swear off the stuff.

Craft beer is brewed to be tasted. It is intended to engage, stimulate and excite your taste buds, not numb them. Craft beer should be enjoyed at proper temperatures, generally around 45-50 degrees.

'How do I do that?', you might ask.

Simple, really. Whether your beer is dispensed from a counter style cooler (direct draw) or a walk in cooler with glycol chilled beer lines (long draw), the temperature of the cooler should be set to as close to 38 degrees as you can get. Next, pour the beer (see Pour: Parts 1 & 2) into an appropriate room temperature glass (see Glassware) . For stronger beers, give them a moment. Beer that is close to 38 degrees coming out of the faucet will probably warm to around 45 degrees once in the glass.

Next >>