fat tire

[mongo_jones]

all of you beer-aficionados probably know about fat tire, boulder colorado's favorite beer. while drinking a glass of it with my lunch yesterday i read the label carefully for the first time, and noticed that in addition to the capsule brewery history, genealogy of the name "fat tire", alcohol content, best-by date etc. they also list the optimum temperature at which to drink. can't remember now what that is (45 degrees f?) but am wondering how common a practice it is among craft-beer makers to put temperature recommendations on their bottles. and do any of you actually get out a thermometer to check?

[sylunt1]

Well actually... yes - a number of beers do have serving temps on them. As the craft brew industry picks up - it seems to be moving more towards the wine type sector (more beer snobs :) Not that there is anything wrong with that at all - I myself am kind of a beer snob. The belgian beers (and New Belgium Brewery) tend to have serving guidelines. This is done as different beers are better at different temps (and in different glasses) - the lighter the beer typically the colder is is to be served. I wrote an article about this sort of thing awhile back. I think the temp thing is something you will see more of in the future - at least I hope so. Brewers take a lot of time and a lot of pride in brewing their beer - so why not enjoy them as they were meant to be (and how they taste best)

Cheers.

[mongo_jones]

oh, i don't object to it in the slightest--sorry if i gave that impression. not sure to what degree restaurants and bars honor these temperatures though or how i could myself at home without a thermometer.

[sylunt1]

You didnt give that impression at all :)

I would suspect that most bars/restaurants do not stick to the guidelines. I would find it hard to believe that most places would have that strong a customer base interested in this type of serving style to warrant that kind of storage space.

I would love to see a beer bar - you know, as there are wine bars. A quiet dimly lit, comfortable, place for conversation, relaxation and to enjoy the different beers properly - that would be a very good thing. A pipe dream? I hope not.

Personally, I do not use a thermometer, nor do I have a cellar (or something that keeps the beer at cellar temp). I keep them in the fridge, but tend to drink them slowly so I enjoy them at a range of temps - and I find it interesting to see what flavors emerge when. But then again, I am a bit odd :)

[phaelon56]

I would love to see a beer bar - you know, as there are wine bars. A quiet dimly lit, comfortable, place for conversation, relaxation and to enjoy the different beers properly - that would be a very good thing. A pipe dream? I hope not.

We already have one in my town....

Clark's Ale House

They sell only beer and wine with the primary focus being British style ales served at the correct temperature. In a neighborhood full of trendy joints (the Armory Square district of Syracuse NY), these guys have it figured out. No TV's, no jukebox, no music, no video games, no live jazz bands.... just dart boards, board games. newspapers/magazines and good old-fashioned conversation. It was a shocking event locally when they added turkey sandwiches to their menu (the menu had previously included only a roast beef sandwich along with cheeses and crackers).

Clark's has been up and running for close to ten years now and continues to thrive. It's a model that would work well elsewhere if people had the nerve to try it. By the way.... the owners heavily researched traditional British and irish pubs before settling on a business model - it appears that their research paid off.