John, on the room temp beer question: A lot of the potential flavors in a beer are significantly subdued when you drink it very cold. So far as I am aware in general, the colder your food, the less you can taste it. Obviously there are some beers that don't have much taste to begin with, but others will taste different at room temperature than they do cold. Most people wouldn't recommend drinking any beer at room temperature except very rich brews like stouts and barley wines.

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So far as I am aware in general, the colder your food, the less you can taste it.

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This is most likely due to the nature of liquids and vapours. Considering that the taste buds can only distinguish 4 basic flavours (sweet, sour, bitter and salty) the majority of our ability to "taste" comes from the nose. Aromas from a cold beer would be more subdued as the vapours released under such temperatures would be less than if it were warmer.
Secondly a truly cold beer may also numb the taste buds ni the mouth thereby dulling the detection of the 4 basic flavours. A brutally bitter beer should be less bitter embibed bitterly cold.

Anyone here a food scientist?

I believe I have read that the taste buds are desensitized to "sweet" at colder temps. The reason why ice cream doesn't seem overly sweet. When that is applied to beer making, the brewer must make his beer to be consumed at a specific temperature in order to balance the malt sweetness and the hop bitterness.
bigjohn, in Europe they frequently drink ales at cellar temps from what I've heard, but I doubt anybody drinks lagers at summer time Texas temps!

Has anyone heard of the German practice of serving certain styles of beer with a warm water bath? My German teacher in high school said that some pubs (is that what you call them in Germany) would give you a bowl of warm water to set your mug into to keep the beer warm.

At the time, I didn't know any better, but now it sounds pretty revolting. Room temp is one thing, but warm??

Well, we could go to Speisekammer and find out! They seem pretty traditional... the waiter looked at me funny when I didn't order beer...

Mmmmm. Now that my cholesterol is back down to a healthy level (woo hoo!), I'm anxious to check that place out.

We just went with my parents last weekend. Jen had some hefeweizen samplers, and they were pretty tasty. (had to keep it vaguely on topic!)

I love their sauerkraut.

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the waiter looked at me funny when I didn't order beer

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you get the same thing around here when you try and order pepsi.. oh wait, we already had this discussion...

bigjohn

Just picked up three great beers on my way home... Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye, Stone Brewing's Stone Ruination, and Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA

Gonna be some good drinkin' this weekend.

Oh stop it! I've got a 6.5 hour drive ahead of me yet today. No time for beer when I get home!