Why do Americans like their beer cold?

Cainkane1 said:
On occassion I talk to a Brit or german working here in Atlanta ga. They don't like their beer as cold as we do. Theres nothing wrong with drinking room temperature beer but I like it cold myself. I talked to a Polish girl at my watering hole and she told me that some cultures like their beer warm enough to steam a bit.

Here in the American southeast I can understand. It gets darn hot here so we drink cold soda, iced tea and we prefer our beer as cold as we can get it without it actually freezing.

Ok Most caucasian americans ancestors come from England, Germany etc. Why do we like it as coold as we do? What changed us?
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You know, i am one of the few guys i know who will say this.

Alcohol tastes bad. Plain and simple, they do everything in their power to try and make it taste enjoyable, but each and every time a non alcoholic version of the same drink would taste better.

This being said, i love drinking, huge fan actually. Not consistant, sometimes i go 4-6 weeks without a drink. But when i do i enjoy the effect it gives me , not the taste.

I think it is kind of a badge of honor among men to say they enjoy the taste of alcohol, kind of a " i like to fight" for us more civilized folks. Not only do you do something unpleasent , but you actually enjoy it.

My point is, a person such as myself could care less about the way an alcohol is served, the flavors put into it, etc. It will always be inferior as a taste sensation, so its only advantage is the effect it has on someones brain.

Now, ironically, due to this i have tried more varied types of alcohol than most people i know. I could care less if it is warm full bodied ale, $100 a bottle whiskey, or a day old 40 of Black Ice. It all does relatively the same thing. It is honestly over my head to complain about the way an alcoholic beverage is served. It is kind of like saying that you wouldn't mind being kicked in the face with a wingtip, but a sneaker, that is out of the question.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
Evidence? If it ever did, it would be > 30 or 40 years ago.
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You must be a Bud man. I like Pabst better but since Bud is made with 30% rice and 70% barley there is a vague odor of rice mingled with the barley. Theres something about bud which to me is beechwood which is used to age bud that I have an allergy to. It gives me a headache and a itchy throat and mouth. I found this out when a friend of mine bought a bud brewing kit and he brewed the beer both with and later without the beechwood slats in the kit. The beer without the lsats didn't give me the headache.

If you're a fan of Bud then fine.. No problem with that. You get to drink something you enjoy and you don't spend an arm and a leg drinking microbrews and imports like I do.

More power to you.
 
sadhatter said:
You know, i am one of the few guys i know who will say this.

Alcohol tastes bad. Plain and simple, they do everything in their power to try and make it taste enjoyable, but each and every time a non alcoholic version of the same drink would taste better.

This being said, i love drinking, huge fan actually. Not consistant, sometimes i go 4-6 weeks without a drink. But when i do i enjoy the effect it gives me , not the taste.

I think it is kind of a badge of honor among men to say they enjoy the taste of alcohol, kind of a " i like to fight" for us more civilized folks. Not only do you do something unpleasent , but you actually enjoy it.

My point is, a person such as myself could care less about the way an alcohol is served, the flavors put into it, etc. It will always be inferior as a taste sensation, so its only advantage is the effect it has on someones brain.

Now, ironically, due to this i have tried more varied types of alcohol than most people i know. I could care less if it is warm full bodied ale, $100 a bottle whiskey, or a day old 40 of Black Ice. It all does relatively the same thing. It is honestly over my head to complain about the way an alcoholic beverage is served. It is kind of like saying that you wouldn't mind being kicked in the face with a wingtip, but a sneaker, that is out of the question.
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This is why I drink beer instead of vodka.
 
Cainkane1 said:
You must be a Bud man. I like Pabst better but since Bud is made with 30% rice and 70% barley there is a vague odor of rice mingled with the barley. Theres something about bud which to me is beechwood which is used to age bud that I have an allergy to. It gives me a headache and a itchy throat and mouth. I found this out when a friend of mine bought a bud brewing kit and he brewed the beer both with and later without the beechwood slats in the kit. The beer without the lsats didn't give me the headache.

If you're a fan of Bud then fine.. No problem with that. You get to drink something you enjoy and you don't spend an arm and a leg drinking microbrews and imports like I do.

More power to you.
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No, I'm not a fan of Bud. I don't drink it because I don't like it. I was simply pointing out that Bud does not (and has never, as far as I know) contained corn as an ingredient. You somehow morphed that into me liking Bud. Odd.
 
sadhatter said:
Alcohol tastes bad. Plain and simple, they do everything in their power to try and make it taste enjoyable, but each and every time a non alcoholic version of the same drink would taste better.
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have you ever tasted alcohol free beer or wine?
 
NoScotsman said:
Heck... forget beer. Most people I know keep their hard liquors in the freezer.

This thread reminds me of a thread I read on a Japanese skeptics board... "なぜアメリカ人は彼らの肉が調理されたかのような？何が室温と悪いのでしょうか？?"
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Something about America and, uh, meat?
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
BTW, it would be impossible for Budweiser to have a similar "wet corn bouqet", since it contains no corn. :)
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The Central Scrutinizer said:
Evidence? If it ever did, it would be > 30 or 40 years ago.
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True, but there are other sources of "corn aroma" than corn. DMS is the most likely culprit and even though it's often a beer infection by-products (but also comes from the grain) it is not considered a fault in all styles. Dortmunder export is allowed to have DMS for example.

OTOH I have never seen any analysis or serious taster claim Bud has DMS or tastes like corm. It's nearly free of DMS. The yeast used in Bud products is said to have a "apple-like" aroma which is perhaps most prominent in Michelob. All the Bud products go horrible stale on exposure to air - the the morning after a college party had a peculiar stale cardboard aroma. I'm no expert of light lagers, but it seems that the flavor profile progresses from PBR, Miller, Bud, Coors, water. Tho' it's been so long since I have a Coors or PBR that I might be wrong.








whatthebutlersaw said:
I really have to ask you how you managed to completely avoid Shepherd Neame ales. ... Spitfire, ...
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I bought a case of SN Spitfire a few years back and every single bottle had a vinegar aroma. Not the only UK Ale I've come across w/ clear signs of infection.


Sweden has much the same history with beer, and both the celts and the vikings priced beer skillz most when choosing a wife. *********** up the beer brewing was bad luck.
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The Swedes seem to have lost their knack, and at ~$10USD for a beer it's not worth trying to drink in Sweden.

Of course the "lager tradition" originates in Bavaria and Bohemia, but spread rapidly with Carlsberg/Demmark being a particularly early stand. The "Viking beers" were ales "Ol" with an umlaut thown in. Hmm IIRC "Yule" contains some reference to ale. . Also Hops as a bitterling agent didn't appear until much later - so old UK ales were spiced with "gruit" and the Swedish ales often used juniper branches. I've had several examples gruit beers, reputedly following ancient gruit recipes, before and I think they are pretty bad - tastes like cough drops or medicine. OTOH I've had two juniper beers and both were excellent.

When I drank I liked my lager cold and my ales slightly below room temperature. To my taste, cold tended to dampen the bitterness and accentuate any acidity or sharpness. A sharper drink often feels more refreshing than a less acidic one and ...
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To me the cold seems to selectively dampen the sweet malty flavors so you are left with an out of balance too-bitter beer. It accentuates the acidity as you say.
 
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stevea said:
True, but there are other sources of "corn aroma" than corn. DMS is the most likely culprit and even though it's often a beer infection by-products (but also comes from the grain) it is not considered a fault in all styles. Dortmunder export is allowed to have DMS for example.

OTOH I have never seen any analysis or serious taster claim Bud has DMS or tastes like corm. It's nearly free of DMS. The yeast used in Bud products is said to have a "apple-like" aroma which is perhaps most prominent in Michelob. All the Bud products go horrible stale on exposure to air - the the morning after a college party had a peculiar stale cardboard aroma. I'm no expert of light lagers, but it seems that the flavor profile progresses from PBR, Miller, Bud, Coors, water. Tho' it's been so long since I have a Coors or PBR that I might be wrong.
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What is DMS?
 
Shepherd's Neame is probably my favourite brewery. I've only drunk Bishop's Finger and Spitfire, but damn, those are amazing ales.
 
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