Beer was RE: [geeks] Dream job

[Chris Byrne]

True enough on the lager point. Lager is a central/eastern/northern European
thing really. Most modern Lagers are the Pilsner Urqel style which is Czech.
Almost all German beers are laagered, whether they are called a Lager or not
as are most Dutch beers. The Belgians do mostly ales, and the British do
mostly ales and bitters, even if they aren't called that. Most ales should
be served at just below room temp (I prefer mine slightly cooler) and most
bitters room temp. The more bitter a beer is in general the warmer it should
be served.

Porters and stouts are all over the place. Some should be served very cold,
some very warm, all depending on the character of the drink (sweet, bitter,
chocolaty, malty, thin, thick etc...)

Irish Guinness is the only true Guinness. I've had it elsewhere and it
really is crap. The standard line is that Guinness doesn't travel well, and
that's definitely true, but there's also the fact that Guinness from the
taps in Ireland is unpasteurized and has a very low IBU (International
Bitterness Units) and very high sugar content for a stout (the higher the
IBU the more natural preservative action there is, the higher the sugar the
easier it goes off). The Guinness you get in the UK is OK, but the stuff in
the states is just plain nasty.

Oh and for anyone who thinks Guinness is thick, think again. Try a really
good Belgian barleywine some day. It's kind of like drinking alcoholic maple
syrup ;-)

Chris Byrne -  Beer Fanatic and Home Brewer


> -----Original Message-----
> From: geeks-admin at sunhelp.org [mailto:geeks-admin at sunhelp.org]On Behalf
> Of Mike Meredith
> Sent: 22 April 2002 19:16
> To: geeks at sunhelp.org
> Subject: Re: [geeks] Dream job
>
>
> On Monday 22 April 2002 18:09, Chris Byrne wrote:
> > slightly warmed (like warm milk temperature). However no lager should
> > be served above 40 degrees Fahrenheit if possible, and 50 at the
> > absolute maximum. Lager is specifically brewed to be kept and served
> > cold.
>
> I wasn't trying to be totally accurate. It could also be argued that
> lager isn't really a British beer even if brewed in the UK.
>
> > Personally I like a good room temp or slightly cooler pint of bitters
> > (I like Theakstons personally but that's just me) or an ESB, but for
> > my Guinness I like it cold, and for my lagers I like them ice cold.
>
> I prefer Guinness cold myself, although I suspect Irish Guinness is a
> different matter. As for bitter and lager, I prefer it in someone
> else's glass.
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