Why do the English drink warm beer?

Why aren't they known for their computers?







They can't figure out how to make them leak oil!
 
Actually, English Ales are brewed differently from German and Czech Lagers and Pilseners. Ales, Bitters, Porters and Stout Porters are meant to be drunk a little warmer than Pilseners and Lagers (typically 5-10 deg F warmer for an Ale than a Lager)

IPAs, however, tend to taste best when a little cooler than, say, a brown ale.


Usually, the stronger and more complex the beer, slightly warmer temps help bring out those flavors.




Then again, maybe the English make their beers taste good warmer because of those Lucas fridges!
 
I had all my orginal Lucas electies on my Norton for over 30 year without any problems (and I still have my orginal head light blub in my headlight) if Lucas did make a fridge or if any other fridge last over 30 years it be a great fridge, most moden fridges only have a life time of 10 years or a little more if you are lucky, I just brought a new fridge and in the book it says expected life is 10 years.

But here in Aussie land we drink cold beer, the colder the better, if its not very cold it taste like crap.

Ashley
 
I still have the original Lucas electronic ignition on my 79 T140 and it works like a champ. If they ever make a fridge, please let me know. :)
 
After about 1970 (I think) there was a major change of management at Lucas which resulted in a big improvement in quality. Their "take it as it is and quit pestering" attitude towards N-V when I was there was mainly due to the very small amount of business they got from our production rate.
 
But here in Aussie land we drink cold beer, the colder the better, if its not very cold it taste like crap.

Ashley[/quote]

I wouldn't call that xxxx crap beer
 
splatt said:
But here in Aussie land we drink cold beer, the colder the better, if its not very cold it taste like crap.

Ashley
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call that xxxx crap beer[/quote]


Everyone to their own, but remember XXXX has changed from the orginal recipe and are now making more lighter beers, even my favorite Bitter Ale has gone from 4.9% down to now 4.6% ALC content without telling anyone and XXXX gold (3.3% ALC content which to me taste like crap) is one of the biggest selling beers in Australia, but you can never go past natual brew beer that takes time to furment without cemicals being used to speed up the process (just love Coppers stout 6.3% ALC content and natualy brewed).

Ashley
 
If you've been in the UK, that real ale is delicious.
They have developed it to a very fine art, for a very long time.
Who wants a freezing cold drink on a freezing cold day....
 
Warm beer just lovely, Bowman ales warm or garage temp will do fine. I think it would catch on stateside when they realize they can get more beer onbaord the big Ford pick up when they do the tail gate BBQ's if they ditch the coffin size cool box full of ice.
 
English top fermented beer is/should be served at around 12C ie cellar/ground temperature. The slightly warmer serving temperature allows the flavours to be apparent in the mouth, so you can appreciate the hops and malts used all the better.

Top fermented beer and larger styles are really two completely different drinks, like a granary loaf and a chapati. Someone messed up using the same name.

I watched the Henniger Braeuerei in Frankfurt being demolished a few years back, The amount of tanks and pipework was amazing. Contrasted with a Burton Union set at the Brewing museum at Burton on Trent - just slate "squares".
Perhaps a few ex-GI's who rotated through Frankfurt remember the old Henniger Turm?

Real English beer is also not over pressurised. All that gas under pressure takes up space you know, and gas is cheaper than beer.

I'm sure in places where dehydration is a real possibility, drinking large volumes without being distracted by anything as intrusive as flavour is important for survival.
 
And I think it also goes back to simpler times when refrigeration was accomplished with manufactured blocks of ice. I was fascinated by the ice docks at our local railyard as a child, watching the huge upright blocks move down a belt conveyor from railcars to trucks. When mechanical refrigeration became more commonplace, the ice docks went away and air conditioning to mitigate blazing summer heat soon followed. The first buildings to be air-conditioned in my hometown were taverns, a fact they advertised to draw customers in to swill the ice-cold beer.
 
In the arid rural areas of the Western states in the USA, virtually every gas station and trashy mom&pop backwoods store garishly advertised "ice cold beer". Why? Because it was hotter than hell and no air conditioning anywhere. Of course the beer was watery crap with no flavor anyway. Brits never needed this type of product with their drizzly cool climate, and as the Marshal Plan wouldn't allow the extravagant use of bottled CO2 to artificially carbonate and serve their over taxed, and thus, dumbed down bitters, they needed warmer temperatures to be able to tell the difference between ale and water. Interestingly, The Campaigh For Real Ale in the UK and the craft beer phenomenon in the USA have revived actual flavorful beer much to the chagrin of the large multinational brewing corporations who are steadily losing market share to small local breweries.
Think global but drink local.
 
There was a pub in Bradford on Avon that used to sell it's own brew. It could only be sold in the Winter, because it went off in the Summer!! Because I was riding I drank a soft drink, but the boss had a pint of this lovely stuff. I had to tie her to me, using doubled up Belstaff jacket belts, so we could go home!!
The village where I once lived had a pub with the best draught Guinness for miles around. Pulled up by the barmaid, not blown up courtesy of BOC. People would travel 50/60 miles to taste this Guinness, and the pub was walking distance for me!!
cheers
wakeup
 
Lazyeye:

In Anacortes we have a really good brewery with a pub/restaurant next door. In their drinks menu, the source of the beer is listed. About 60% say "next door".
 
I always found it slightly odd that Guiness did taste so different, sometimes very different, from pub to pub. Being a very controlled production process compared to most craft beers, and isn't the draught stuff pasteurised too? I have been very lucky to had decent Guiness available.

Before the huge explosion availavility of craft beers, Guiness was my normal choice in unknown pubs, now I mostly sup from the barrels. Our favourite local always has three casks on the counter, unless he sells out - no beer engines or pressure fed taps there.
For Norfolk habituees, it's the Kings Arms in Shouldham. Very good made on the premises pies too, plus other pubby grub. It's a community run thing so all power to them. Check out the web site http://kingsarmsshouldham.co.uk/beer-music-festival/ notice the beer and music festival beginning of September for opening and events, like the 1st Sunday of the month classic bike and car meet, held on the village green out front. A couple of frequent attendees is a pre-war blower MG midget and a very nice Invicta.
Bikes depends on the event competition.
 


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