Cold or Room Temp Glasses

[Praetor]

So, what does everybody do?

I will testing three different methods for my beers. Freezer, fridge, cabinet.

I have a stout on the keg right now and I am brewing a Scottish Export 80 tonight. So that beer will be tested in a few weeks when its ready to drink.

While I brew I am going to drink my stout out of the three different glasses and see what I like best.

I am not a fan of frozen glasses, especially at bars and restaurants where they stick em in the freezer wet and they develop ice. But these glasses are dried yet very cold. Plus I rarely keep rotating glasses after the first beer.

At the very least I'll drink beer while testing.

 

[LarryBrewer]

A glass from the freezer can be a nice touch for a guest on a hot day, but for my own purposes I pick a room temp glass out of my collection.

 

[Nosybear]

Most serve beer too cold to fully appreciate it. To me, anything below 40° is reserved for Coors or Budweiser - good beer does not have to be supercold to be drinkable. Frosted mugs to me are just an extension of the too-undrinkable-to-serve-at-a-reasonable-temperature movement that has led us to "cold activated" cans. Between 40° and 50° seems to be the sweet spot.

My glasses of choice are the rounded Braswell's Jam glasses - 11 oz, just about right for me, my diet and my alcohol tolerance and the shape is nice for concentrating aroma. And room temperature, please!

 

[LarryBrewer]

+1 for beers that are not designed to be served 'ice cold'. Some ales taste much better at warmer temps. I'm thinking English beers here.

I keep my keezer around 38-40F, maybe I should turn it up a notch?

 

[Praetor]

Most serve beer too cold to fully appreciate it. To me, anything below 40° is reserved for Coors or Budweiser - good beer does not have to be supercold to be drinkable. Frosted mugs to me are just an extension of the too-undrinkable-to-serve-at-a-reasonable-temperature movement that has led us to "cold activated" cans. Between 40° and 50° seems to be the sweet spot.

I think this is true for a lot of homebrewers. I keep my kegerator at around 42-44.

My tests last night were inconclusive which tells me that I will just display/store my glasses on top of the kegerator.

HOWEVER: I can see how a frosted glass can be appealing for a lighter beer. There is just something refreshing about the look of it it. The Stout is just to dark to appreciate the condensation on the glass.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

44.6 or 7 celsius on my temp controller, your right good ales are not as good too cold, they seem to loose flavor and add bite

 

[EvanAltman36]

I have several glasses in the freezer, though that's as much a function of saving space in the cabinet as it is anything else. My kegerator is in the garage, so I want them close by but don't want them getting dusty or crowding the fridge. I find a frosty mug to be a nice touch on hot day, though the resultant clouding from the temperature change means that you can't really see your beer. I'm big on taking in as many sensory aspects of my beer as I can; this may sound funny, but I was so giddy the other day when I poured my cold-conditioned IPA and it was pure and clear that I took a picture for Instagram. Yes, I'm a nerd. Anyway, the glass is going to lose the cold temp pretty quickly if it's in your hand or outside, so it's more of a novelty than anything. If you're drinking a fine American macrobrew or a pop, the best bet is one of the special freezer mugs that actually freeze and stay very cold for a long time. Again, this is coming from a guy who, admittedly, puts glasses in the freezer for storage.

 

[Head First]

I store my glasses in the freezer as a convienence as much as anything. They stay clean and dust free.I like cold beer also. When I pour a beer from my keg (38 degrees) I will take a large swill from it right off as this is when a fresh poured beer tastes the best, let it set for about 3 min. (give or take) for the frost to melt off so I can see the beer and take in the aroma then sip. I really enjoy watching each lace line form as I drink homebrew, noting how many drinks per glass by counting the lace lines. Can't do that with bud.

 

[EvanAltman36]

I store my glasses in the freezer as a convienence as much as anything. They stay clean and dust free.I like cold beer also. When I pour a beer from my keg (38 degrees) I will take a large swill from it right off as this is when a fresh poured beer tastes the best, let it set for about 3 min. (give or take) for the frost to melt off so I can see the beer and take in the aroma then sip. I really enjoy watching each lace line form as I drink homebrew, noting how many drinks per glass by counting the lace lines. Can't do that with bud.

That is some solid stuff right there. Makes me want to leave work early and set up a lawn chair with the radio turned to a baseball game with a nice frosty mug of homebrew in my hand. I guess a desk chair and a hot mug of coffee will have to suffice for now though.