[AStonesThrow]

How warm is "too warm"? I find cold beer, and cold soft drinks as well, quite repulsive. I usually try to order without ice entirely, and if I receive any bottles or cans, I permit them to come to room temp before consumption.

Refrigeration is sort of a scourge to those who enjoy food. We are so used to simply freezing our esophagus and not tasting anything! Food is kept cold because it lasts longer, not because it tastes better.

Sure, refrigeration makes restaurants and grocery stores possible. But it also presents challenges to cooking and it's very resource-intensive -- think about it -- basically everyone everywhere is always running their refrigeration -- that's a huge load on any system.

[showsover]

I was referring to the fact that generally people prefer cold beer, not room temp beer.

[consp]

Pedantic, but most beers should be drank (according to the manufacturers and experts) at 7-13c depending on type of beer. Exceptions always exist to confirm the rule. Which is above fridge and around "cellar" temperatures.

Unless you drink Schultenbrau, which tastes worse cold than at room temperature (/s, kind of).

[elric]

TIL Schultenbrau is a real beer. I thought it was gag beer designed for the New Kids show.

The same goes for wine, by the way: cellar temperature is usually optimal.

[AStonesThrow]

> generally people prefer cold beer

Do they? But why? Why would they? Are they simply accustomed to tasting it that way? I should say "not tasting it" because chilling a beverage basically kills its flavours, and they never make it to your tongue correctly.

I would say that many people would be surprised and amazed if they tasted such things as Pepsi without ice, and without coming right out of the fridge.

Unfortunately, any lack of refrigeration really messes up supply chains and will eat into anyone's bottom line, so it's not a realistic goal.

[nuthje]

This stuff is panel-tested out of the wazoo. There's a reason bitterness, hoppiness, alcohol levels, differ market by market, even on brands of the same brand/line extension.

Beer also does not require refrigeration throughout the entire supply chain, they happily sit in a warm warehouse waiting to be picked up by an unrefrigerated truck, only to be cooled at the outlet or consumer.

[mrguyorama]

There is so much more to enjoyment of consumption than just "taste".

Smell, touch, look, mouthfeel, nostalgia, temperature, color, other various human factors (ie I always eat this with my friends), sounds, cost

ALL of these affect your experience of consuming something.

Your insistence on ignoring the holistic experience because cold things don't react as well to produce taste sensations is misguided.

Never mind that plenty of things a DESIGNED to be consumed cold, and eating it room temp or warm would be contrary to the design. Beer and other soft drinks are often in this category as they intend to be "refreshing".

You don't drink your beer at 85 Celsius right? Why not? You will "taste" it more!

[AStonesThrow]

> enjoyment of consumption

Yes, in fact, there is nothing to kill my enjoyment more than a watered-down icy beverage that murders my tongue and esophagus as it goes down.

Since my youth I’ve been a choral singer and musician. I’m quite sensitive to keeping “my instrument” in top condition. Therefore I take offense from anyone who says that [Scoville levels] of spice should be calibrated for murder, or that beverages should be as close to freezing as possible.

This is doing violence to the consumer, and it’s simply unjust across the board. If I had a nickel for every butt-hurt counter girl just because I asked for “no ice please”; if it really hurts your bottom line then charge double? Consumers aren’t actually afforded much choice about the temperature of food we consume, are we?

There is basically no scientific or cultural reason for food or drink to be consumed while it is cold [below 40°F]. Simply marketing and capitalism because of food safety and profit. Therefore I need not kowtow to someone’s haughty decree that soda is somehow designed to be drunk that way.

[myself248]

I've always theorized that, in prehistory, the only source of cold water would be recent snowmelt; streams that came fairly directly from a probably-clean source. Warm water could have all sorts of things growing in it. So our ancestors who found cool water to be particularly refreshing and sought it out might have suffered less from waterborne illness.