Will,
Speaking as a Yank who has visited the UK, I can two things
about their beer:
1) It is not served warm. It is the natural temperature
of the pub cellar where the kegs are stored (maybe 55-58F).
It is then pulled by sheer muscle power to the bar upstairs
losing neither taste nor temp to electric pumps.
2) They brew it a bit differently and it tastes better
at this temperature than it would if it were chilled
beyond flavor.
As for "lite" beer, that was invented by medieval Germans
who called it "pilsner".
Joe DeLuca
Sparta, NJ
'62 yellow 4/4 competition model
Morgan 3/4 Group, USA
PS: I was in your neighborhood (Ringoes) last Saturday
but absolutely couldn't divert to stop by and say hello.
Someday!
-----Original Message-----
From: William Zehring [mailto:zehrinwa@UMDNJ.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 1998 9:03 AM
To: Gary Kneisley
Cc: morgans@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: in their defense (was: Halogen headlamps)
Fellow Morganist Gary K. writes:
>
>PS: And the British drink warm beer too,
>
Now, it seems that whenever discussion of the electrics in our dearly
beloved british cars flares up, and the vicissitudes of the Lucas
electrical systems are cast into question, we are reminded that the Brits
drink warm beer, hinting that they can't wire a refrigerator correctly,
either.
Well, two things (sorry, but I just have to speak up here):
(1)Its never been my impression that they drink "warm" beer (i.e. beer that
is warmer than room temperature (which in England is no better than 65F,
most of the time, if any of the scenes in the Alistair Simm version of "A
Christmas Carol" are to be taken as accurate)). I'm prepared to admit that
the Brits have a number of odd habits (like boiling their vegetables to a
state of mush, and now-and-again going over to France to beat up on soccer
fans), but I cannot believe that they drink WARM beer. The thought of
imbibing 'warm' beer (beer from which steam is rising) is revolting, in the
extremus!
(2)And even if they did, who the heck are we yanks to cast the first stone?
The American habits of drinking freezing ice cold beer has NEVER made
sense to me (even as a sodden college student). Not only do we Americans
brew the most flavorless of beers (whose idea was "lite" beer, anyway?),
but we numb our tongues further by serving the stuff just shy of frozen, in
glasses coated with frost. What little taste there might have been is made
fully inaccessible by such cold temperatures. It is my 'umble opinion that
beer is best served at a temp roughly equidistant between refrigerator and
room temps (i.e. approx. 50F). That is, I would say, 'lightly chilled.'
Having said that, I'm more than willing to allow that those list members
who live in Texas, where it is well recognized to never drop below 90F, may
have a hankering for an icy draught now and again. We may forgive them for
this tendency, living as they do in the trackless Great American Desert.
thirsty (as usual), I am
yours, etc.,
Will Zehring
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