I love dark beers, but I’d love them more if I could consistently get them at the right temperature. Most dark beers should be served at cellar or room temperature, maybe 12 to 15 degrees, a rather hard thing to achieve in a New Zealand summer. If served too cold, they lose a lot of their flavour.
Which is why I was slightly surprised when I went to the launch of Epic’s Port Amarillo last year at the Pohutukawa bar. A smoked porter with the slight tang of tamarillos, the Porter Amarillo was a flavoursome brew – once it had warmed up. Pohutukawa was filled with men standing with their hands wrapped around their beers, trying to warm them up. It was a logistical problem – the Porter Amarillo was served on tap and therefore had to be stored in the same chiller as the other beers, which, in New Zealand, is quite cold. (Someone had suggested that they should have used a handpump, until someone else pointed out the only place that probably had a handpump in Auckland was Galbraiths and they would be unlikely to lend it to us).
I have the same logistical problem at home. I can’t quite afford to run an extra fridge at roughly the right temperature (or stock it), so I’m constantly playing with ways of getting the temperature right. In winter it’s fine – my uninsulated flat means that anywhere in my bedroom is about the right temperature. In summer though, it’s best to keep it in the fridge until desired, remove and then wait ’till it warms up to the right temperature. However, this a feat of timing and patience that I’m yet to master.
At Dad’s bach for our porter tasting evening we decided to attempt to chill it to the right temperature by placing the beers in a pot with cold water and a ice pack. It didn’t work. At one point Dad even placed one of the open bottles back in the fridge to cool it down. That didn’t work either.
I think I’ll stick to drinking porters during winter, from the perfectly chilled comfort of my bedroom.
January 17, 2011 at 10:37 pm
I leave my porters at ambient temperature and then just chuck them in the fridge for 15-30min or so, depending on the temp and mood, before cracking one open. I love them as much in summer as I do in winter.
Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black (disclaimer: it’s my beer)
Renaissance Elemental Porter
Emerson’s London Porter
Three Boys Porter
Three Boys Oyster Stout (when it is in season)
Twisted Hop Nokabollokov
And, I love Galbraith’s Grafton Porter…
January 17, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Hi Stu, thanks for the comment, I will try that method. I’ve tried a couple on that list (Emerson’s London Porter is probably my all-time favourite) but will definitely be looking the others up. Do you know where in Auckland stocks Yeastie Boys?
January 18, 2011 at 3:14 am
Hi Rosalind
We have a map… take your pick: http://bit.ly/fdl0GH
The great thing is, that any of these places should also stock a very good selection of other beers.
Enjoy the ride… Slainte mhath
Stu
January 18, 2011 at 10:36 pm
I often keep beer in the fridge then run the unopened bottle under the hot tap until the beer inside has warmed up enough. You could also sit a few in a bucket of appropriate temp water for a while, sort of the opposite of an ice bucket 🙂
January 19, 2011 at 3:54 am
Two more methods to try, thanks Dale! Looks like I’m going to be drinking a few porters and stouts trying out all these new methods.