Through
extensive trial and error, I've discovered that the optimal
temperature for Heineken is not achieved in the refrigerator. The
taste seems to improve quit a bit after it's had a chance to get
roughly half way to room temperature. I don't have a thermometer
handy, but I'm going to guess that it's roughly 48-52 degrees
Fahrenheit. The fridge gets it close to 38 degrees or so (last time I
checked) and it's about 65 in my apartment.
It's really too bad that I can't find JW Dundee's Honey Brown in the Bay Area. And it seems that Killian's Irish Red is hard to come by too. Those were my college favorites.
If you feel like bashing my choice of beer, don't waste your time. I really don't care what you think. Now, if you'd like to suggest something I ought to try, I'm all ears.
Posted by jzawodn at June 10, 2003 11:22 PM
Does Deschutes Brewery distribute that far south? If they do, both Obsidian Stout and Black Butte Porter are mighty tasty.
Pyramid Hefeweizen and Redhook Blonde are personal favorites of mine.
The next time that you are at an Indian food joint, ask for Kingfisher - that's pretty popular in India and pretty decent too, IMO.
Compared to some American beers, outstanding :) but YMMV..
Bell's Oberon Ale is simply wonderful, if you can find it.
38° F that's like 3° Celsius... almost frozen beer. And 52° F is like 11° C: boiling :-)
Heineken is pretty much okay though.
A good beer which you probably can't get in the USofA is "Grolsch Kanon", 11,6% Alcohol and very tasty! [ http://www.grolsch.nl/ --> Bier -- Producten ]
Beverages & More is your friend. :-) There's one on El Camino in Sunnyvale or Santa Clara.
Try John Courage, it is similar to Killians but much better. It is difficult to find in some areas.
To bad you don't live on the East Coast. We have some great beers over here, especially with the Sam Adams, Harpoon, and Magic Hat brewerys real close to Boston.
you live in the bay area and you don't drink Anchor Bay? They make a great porter if i remember correctly...
Heineken doesn't taste good at 38° because no beer tastes good at 38°. At that temperature, the beer paralyzes your taste buds so you don't taste anything. "Ice Cold Bud" is popular at that temperature because you can't tell that it doesn't have any flavor. :-)
Whatever you're drinking let it warm up to a respectable temperature first. And for chrissakes, don't drink from an ice cold frosted glass -- that just prolongs the wait.
I'm not a huge beer drinker, but I'm fond of saying that Heinekin is my absolute baseline. I just won't drink anything _less_ than a Heini. Have you tried Stella Artois? It's excellent at the tap, unfortunately I find that its bottled quality varies.
Dude, your refrigerator is too cold! Adjust the thermostat.
And as far as the beer goes, Orval is mighty fine, though Pete's is more regularly consumed.
ziggy's right, all beer should be warmer than 38º -- different temps for different beers. As for others worth trying, try anything from Fullers Brewery if you can find it (it's English), especially Fullers ESB -- best beer ever made. :)
Your beer should be as cold as possible. Almost freezing.
I used to get New Amsterdam on the east coast. Don't know if they still make it, but it's great. My all time favorite was Royal Brand Beer from Holland. They used to have a nifty white bottle, but then they switched to green and then I never saw it again.
Heineken is not a bad choice for a lager actually - I quite like it in fact. More of a stout man myself - Murphys is my fave.
Depending on your tastes or mood, I'd suggest Budvar (sold as Czechvar in the US), Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or Guinness.
Anybody know if Greene King IPA is available in the states, Los Angeles in particular?
Kristi loves that Honey Brown, too. Only beer she'll drink. I used to spend 8 bucks on a 6-pack of bottled beer. But frankly, as long as the $4 six pack of Bud Light bottles is cold enough, it doesn't bother me. So I now drink shitty watered down American Beer. And it doesn't really make a difference.
You want JW Dundees or Kilians, I'll send you a case in exchange for a good porter or stout from the bay area. Here in Pittsburgh, you can get that (crap) anywhere. IIRC Pittsburgh Brewing (Iron City) brews JW Dundees under agreement for High Falls Brewing.
sierra nevada is the one i used to drink the most in the bay area. Hard to get here in miami tho.
http://www.sierra-nevada.com/
Pick up a good Beer guide and either make your own or start sampling!
Hmm. I'd say Magic Hat's #9, but I don't know if they distribute it on the other side of the country.
Pete's Summer Ale is pretty good, they're out of Oregon.
Stone Brewing out of San Diego has a great Ale called Arrogant Bastard.
Hoegarden (sp?) with a slice of lemon is great in the summertime.
The Best is KingFisher beer of Karnataka, India.. brewed by United Breweries...
and also King's Pilsner beer available in Goa, India...
:-)
Harish
Dude, I have a request for you, and for anyone else reading these replies. Drink 2 bottles of somthing German- anything, as long as it's not a stout. Then, drink a bottle of killian's. You will never want to drink it again... Nothings better than a nice brew from a country that knows beer. Killian's Irish Red is a product of Coors, if I'm not mistaken... I'm just sayin y'all should get some nice German brew, or something AUTHENTIC from Ireland. Guinness doesn't count unless youre in Ireland, by the way... Look at the next set of bottles you buy.
Thats all :)
Hay I had a bunch of beer in my frig left over from a party will it be ok if i take it out and let it get warm ?
Cold Cold Cold. Beer can be tasted cold. If you don't believe me then you have never sat in a pub and tried the different, very cold draughts they may have - they taste different. I live in a very warm part of Australia and drinking room temp (or cellar temp) is like drinking warm piss from a ... (you fill in the blank). Almost frozen is the way to go and get a stubbie holder so that you don't freeze your hand. If I could buy a refrigerated stubbie holder I would. In fact I will Google for one. Hey if you want to drink warm beer, be my guest, at least you won't be opening the fridge and warming my beer. Cheers
I just had a "almost room temperature" Heineken the other day and I am hooked! I just google searched warm hieneken and this blog popped up. Well done!
Do some homebrewing myself....stouts and porters. Bought a fridge for wine that only goes to 45 F at the coldest setting and I only use it for beer. I thought it would not get cold enough but every brew I store there is much tastier at the warmer temp of 45 F compared to keeping it in the regular fridge.
My favorite beer is Shakespeare Stout from Portland Ore. Tough to find unless you go there but THE BEST. I like Guinness but Shakespear is better. (hate to call stout "beer" with Budweiser in that category. My policy is: if you can read a newspaper through it, it sucks)
M
I must say that after seeing and hearing the newest Heinekin commercial I have decided to boycott this brew. If and when this commercial sinks into oblivion and is forgotten I may reconsider. The commercial repeats over and over "Do you want it like that?" Who are they targeting? Even though this beer is not highest on my list of favorites, the commercial has ruined all chance of even drinking one if it were offered to me. That's how much I hate this commercial. Thank God for the mute button.
