It is common during hot weather or in very warm places to ask for an ice-cold beer, even keeping some cans in the freezer to have them ready to pour the sacred beer into. This has to do with the cultural load it has acquired as a refreshing and delicious drink, and while this is true, cooling it down too much does not seek to savor a good drink but simply to highlight its refreshing effect. Once again, we are doing it wrong. We have already discussed that beer should never be drunk from the bottle, a terrible mistake that most of us have made. However, the temperature at which we serve it is equally important, as being almost frozen dulls its aromas, textures, and flavors, and it is not enjoyed the same way. This is because at colder temperatures, the taste receptors on the tongue are inhibited, so many of the flavors are neutralized and it is not possible to capture the complexity of the drink. Industrial beers do not have major problems with this, as most are very simple. The challenge of serving beer at the correct temperature lies in the wide variety of styles and blends that exist. The best thing is to follow some basic rules and suggestions that allow you to get the most out of each one, so if you want to cool off, you can choose a type of beer that goes well at a low temperature and not a very complex one that will spoil. Broadly speaking, light beers are served at cold temperatures, while dark and heavy-bodied beers should wait a bit to warm up before drinking. Between both rules are beers like Pale Ale, Pilsner, and Fruit Beer. Below are the general criteria for the appropriate temperature for each beer according to the Beer Guide of Australia, take note.

• Very cold from 0 to 4°C

Pale Lager, Golden Ale, Cream Ale.

• Cold from 4 to 7°C

Hefeweizen, Kristal weizen, Kolsch, Premium Lager, Pilsner, brewpub-style Golden Ale, Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Duvel-types, European Strong Lager, Berliner Weisse, Belgian White, Classic German Pilsner, Fruit Beer, American Dark Lager.

• Fresh from 8 to 12°C

American & Australian Pale Ale, schwarzbier, Smoked, Altbier, Tripel, Irish Ale, Amber Ale, Dunkelweizen, Sweet Stout, Faro, Belgian Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Dunkel, Stout, Dry Stout, Porter, English-style Golden Ale, Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Dortmunder/Helles, Vienna, French or Spanish-style Cider.

• Medium from 12 to 14°C

Bitter, Premium Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Saison, Unblended Lambic, Flemish Sour Ale, Biere de Garde, Baltic Porter, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Strong Ale, Weizen Bock, Bock, Foreign Stout, Zwickel/Keller/Landbier, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale, Strong Ale, Mild, English-style Cider.

• Warm from 14 to 16°C

Barley Wine, Abt/Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Mead

• Hot at 70°C

Dark, spiced winter ales. (Quite rare in the world).  

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