Ales: To Fridge or Not To Fridge....

mack1

I do love a good ale, and have been trying a few different ones out over time - London Pride being a current favourite!

But the question, as the title suggests, is should I be drinking them at room temp or should I be fridgin' them? Suppose it depends on the ale really - obviously Smithwicks etc is served cold - but recently got me a few bottles of Theakston's and it just seems all to modern to fridge it - I should have it a room temp, with a beard and a pipe and a trusty sheepdog at my feet.

Opinions?

noby

Cellar temp. You want it at cellar temp. I usually store them in the fridge, and take them out to warm up a little before drinking. You could do the opposite too.

All ales, including Smithwicks, improve when drank at cellar temp.

r3nu4l

Exactly as noby said...here's a little piece of advice from Camra

Tasting beer is just like tasting wine, but forget about spitting it out. The first step is to make sure the beer you are tasting is served at the right temperature. Too cold and real ale loses many of its complex flavours. Served too warm, it can develop some you don’t want and quickly loses condition in the glass.

BeerNut

I find getting refrigerated beer up to cellar temperature takes too long and I always miss the optimum point. I tend to store ales at room temperature and then give them ten minutes in the freezer before drinking.

gurramok

Some of the canned ale's do say to throw it in fridge maybe 2-3hrs before serving.
I think bottled ales would be similar to what BeerNut just said, a little chilling before serving

noby

I should add that I gave a 'beer fridge' that holds the temp. just a little cooler than cellar temp.

mack1

Excellent stuff - thanks all!

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mack1 wrote:

London Pride being a current favourite!

Yeah, LP is very nice.

I usually just drink it from the shelf in Tesco.

I go and buy it, then start drinking it as soon as I get home, and not put any in the fridge.

Ronan|Raven

Hens Tooth is a glorious ale.

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Ronan|Raven wrote:

Hens Tooth is a glorious ale.

Yeah, but do you fridge it or not?:D

I'm looking forward to some Monteith's for Xmas, the gf is in NZ at the minute, and I have some on order from her.

Oohhhh Yeah!

Ronan|Raven

I keep my ales in the shed outside tbh, seems to get them to a nice temperature. Also get her to get twelve cases of each Now where was your house again?

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Ronan|Raven wrote:

I keep my ales in the shed outside tbh, seems to get them to a nice temperature.

I live in one of these new apartment thingies, we don't have sheds.

Anyway, tis getting a bit cold to be traipsing to the end of a muddy field every time you want a drink, no?

Ronan|Raven wrote:

Also get her to get twelve cases of each Now where was your house again?

She's already bringing back three dozen cases, I'll see what I can do:)

Ronan|Raven

I meant a garden shed

The Sweeper

Depends on the ale for me tbh. I like my honey ales colder - honeydew, waggledance etc, and the other more 'floral' ales I prefer a little warmer.

Warm ale with a dead wasp floating in it is an evil myth.

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What do you think of the Aussie beers majd?

oblivious

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

Depends on the ale for me tbh. I like my honey ales colder - honeydew, waggledance etc, and the other more 'floral' ales I prefer a little warmer.

Warm ale with a dead wasp floating in it is an evil myth.

To be honest some of there are produce as weaning beer to attracted the lager drinkers, hence a recipe designed to be served cold

That been said duvel is regularly served from the fridge

V1llianous

I general drink my ales at a little below room temperature. Used to keep them in the shed so no need to chill at all.

My general slight chilling list would be Old Empire, Honeydew, Waggledance, Bitter & Twisted.

I don't tend to chill my faves such as Old Speckled Hen, Old Peculiar, Theakston's XB and Bombardier.

r3nu4l

If you read the label on some ales today you will see something along the lines of "Serve cool, not cold". It's good to see the question being asked and the answers discussed on boards because only last week a friend of mine served me a bottle of real ale, straight from the fridge...it had been there for a week and was practically devoid of flavour as a result.

oblivious

Del Griffith wrote:

If you read the label on some ales today you will see something along the lines of "Serve cool, not cold". It's good to see the question being asked and the answers discussed on boards because only last week a friend of mine served me a bottle of real ale, straight from the fridge...it had been there for a week and was practically devoid of flavour as a result.

Unfortunately beer for some equals at as possibly cold temp with out freezing

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Does anyone drink Macardles?

What's it like?

I've seen it in a few pubs around the place and was going to try it.

Mr. Presentable

Ale, for me, is a winter beer. I like it "outdoors temperature", so shed for me.

Davidth88

Hi,

Try the following

2 bottles on London Pride, one chilled , one room temp.. and mix

has a world of advantages , not least of which is you HAVE to have 2 bottles !

A-Trak

DesF wrote:

What do you think of the Aussie beers

Have been exprimenting with the ales for the past year now, can't even think about larger since.

Coopers ales so far have been one of the highlights, both the pale and sparkling, moreso the pale though, I whack it into the fridge for an hour befor hand.

Off topic - can anyone recommend a decent offie on the southside. The nice man in my local offie won't order any ales for me as he says I'm the only one who'll buy them!

BeerNut

A-Trak wrote:

can anyone recommend a decent offie on the southside.

That'd be Redmond's of Ranelagh, then.

Or Whelan's, or Carville's on Camden Street, or O'Neill's on the South Circular, or the Vintry in Rathgar, or Deveney's in Rathmines, or Deveney's in Dundrum.

craggles

BeerNut wrote: »

That'd be Redmond's of Ranelagh, then.

Or Whelan's, or Carville's on Camden Street, or O'Neill's on the South Circular, or the Vintry in Rathgar, or Deveney's in Rathmines, or Deveney's in Dundrum.

I want to say Molloy's in Tallaght village, but...

Well they are responsible for my unusual taste in beers and ales. That fridge down the back is always good for exotic bottles

BeerNut

Last year, I would have put Molloy's in Crumlin in there, but their selection has deteriorated badly over recent months.