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beer serving
by Willard Clarke
Temperature
To serve a really good bottled beer at refrigerator temperature can sometimes be doing it a disservice. Just like fine wines, extreme cold can mask a beer's subtleties, and
domestic refrigerators, at around 5C - 7C are just too chilly for some beers. As a rule of thumb, I've found that the darker colour the beer, the less chilling it requires.
Light, pale golden-coloured lagers and wheat beers can be served straight from the fridge, but a dark stout needs only 10 or 15 minutes to chill it
down to an ideal 11C or 12C.
Pouring
Pouring beer is an art that is easy to master, with a couple of techniques depending on the style
of the beer. For most beers, holding the glass at 45 degrees, and pouring straight onto a point half-way down the side of the glass is ideal. Keep pouring in a steady, slow stream, but about half-way through, gradually bring the glass
back to an upright position. The last third or so of the liquid will naturally form a nice head. Some German wheat beers and other "live" (yeast-in) beers benefit from slightly
different handling. The yeast in these bottles will make your beer cloudy. For some, especially the wheat beers, that is exactly what fans require and they will agitate the last
inch of beer in the bottom of the bottle before dumping it into the glass, to ensure all the sediment is distributed thoroughly. If you prefer a bright glass of beer, make sure the
bottle stands up for a while before opening, and pour it into the glass carefully, stopping before the sediment reaches the neck of the bottle.
Glassware
First of all, use one! Drinking lager "by the neck" may be all the rage in clubs and bars, but it is no way to treat, or enjoy, a serious beer. Like the range of wine glasses developed by Riedel of Austria, one for each grape variety, there are those who believe each style of beer requires its own shape of glass. I use two glasses, one being a really nice stemmed beer glasses
with a broad "flute" shape that holds 350cl (right). I also use a tall, straight-sided Pilsner-style glass, that is also ideal for wheat beers. Some
time I will purchase bowl- or chalice-shaped stemmed glasses, which
many authorities believe is the ideal shape for strong, dark ales in particular. I think three different beer glasses is probably more than enough for me, and stops just the right side of obsessional.
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Cellaring
Unlike wine, even the finest beers are released when ready to drink, so there is no need to age them. On the other hand, some beers - particularly "live" beers with yeast in the bottle - can develop positively with cellaring. Most beers
will keep quite happily for months or even years, and should be cellared in cool, dark conditions much like those for wine, though bottles need not be laid down on their sides. Even though European Union legislation requires a "best by"
date on beer, many afficianados scoff at the idea, and are happy to drink beers well after their official expiry date.
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