Warm Beer &Wine – Yeah, It’s a Thing

I’m willing to bet that whenever you crave a beer, part of what you crave is the crisp, ice cold biting flavor that only a bottle can bring.  In fact, the level of cold in a beer is so important that we even have some beer manufacturing companies that give you indicators of how cold a beer is on the can or bottle itself!  Yep, I’m talking about those blue mountains.  There are also advertisements everywhere you go saying stuff like “Ice Cold Beer” or “32 degrees”!

Believe it or not, Beer used to be a beverage best served…WARM.  There were various reasons to drink beer warm.  Back in the day, the beers were malty and were quite tasty when room temperature, or even warmed up.  The heat brought out the sweetness.  However, with today’s Hoppy beers or IPAs, those don’t really work well with being warmer.

While we don’t really practice drinking beer at the temperature of hot cocoa, there are some temperature guidelines for our favorite frothy beverages.

American wheat beer or light-bodied lagers 40°-45° F.

IPA and medium-bodied lagers 45°-50° F.

English bitters, strong, and sour ales 50°-55° F.

Warm beers like old ales, imperial stouts, and barley wines 55°-60° F.

Wines also have temperature guidelines that should be followed to enjoy the flavor properly.

Light and dry white wines, rose wines, and sparkling wines 40°-50° F.

Full-bodied white wines and fruity reds 50°-60° F.

Full-bodied red wines and ports 60°-65° F.

Of course, none of this is to say that you can’t chill your wine or beer, but sometimes it is necessary to warm them up to the proper temperature.  Let us know in the comments your favorite way to warm up your choice beverages!  We’d love to learn how to do this properly.  

Cheers!