Guinness Extra Stout: Warm or Cold?

[pstlpkr]

Hey guys,

My daughter's boyfriend asked me if I was actually drinking my Guinness warm.

Well, it's actually room temperature about 72 degrees...
I was wondering if anyone else drinks it that way.

I would dearly love to hear from our brethren from across the pond.

 

[onepyrotec]

Haven't had any in about 13 years now, but every time I had it, I had it warm, the way it is meant to be.

 

[rotschefeller]

I like my stouts slightly cold, but room temp isn't bad either.
Pilseners on the other hand... I put those in the freezer for a good few before I pop them.

 

[bentmike]

Yep Mike is right cold hides the sweetness and flavor. I like my Guiness on the warmer side. If I bring a six home I just let it sit out on the counter. And enjoy.

 

[dervis]

Always room temp myself. Poor and let it sit, settle and then drink. Repeat as many times as possible

 

[pstlpkr]

If I bring a six home I just let it sit out on the counter. And enjoy.

That's my modus ebrietas as well.

 

[ohin3]

Room temp. I do find on tap it is better cold.

 

[pipeinhand]

Love the stuff, room temp.

 

[brian64]

Either is ok, but haven't had any in a long time...I'm kind of partial to Smithwicks...cold.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I like it cooler than room temp to cold. I really don't like anything warmer than room temp.

 

[undecagon]

When I drink beer it is almost always stout or porter. They sit on the counter or in a cabinet till I drink them, room temp. The only exception is I will sometimes put Guiness Draught in the fridge, because if I remember correctly, the can actually says to serve cold. Although, I'll still drink that room temp sometimes, and the extra stout is always room temp.

 

[captainsousie]

I like mine (Guinness Extra that is) at around 50°f but room temp and fridge cold are both equal for me.

 

[rhogg]

I like it about 50-60 F. Not quite room temperature. Most stouts tase better when warmer. They are thick and complex. When ice cold it detracts from the flavor. I would say this is true for porters as well, and they are obviosly not as malty as stouts. Big malty beers are basically liquid bread, and should not be treated of like ales and lagers. I particularly like these beers (porters, and stouts) while smoking because they coat your tongue with complex carbohydrates instead of menacing bubbles. Remember monks cannot live on bread alone.... because they made porters and stouts!

 

[undecagon]

Pet peeve:

and should not be treated of like ales and lagers.

Stouts and porters are both ales.

 

[captainsousie]

Stouts and porters are both ales.

Not to nitpick, but some imperial stouts and a couple Island style (Jamaican) stouts are fermented at lager temps with a lager yeast so they're technically lagers.

 

[morton]

While I don't drink Guinness, Extra or otherwise, very often, I agree with rhogg in serving them at about 55 degrees in a room temperature glass. Pale Ales, bitters etc at essentially the same temperature and lagers, pilsners right out of the fridge in a cold glass, not frozen. If you take a cold bottle of stout out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter (out of sunlight) for 20-30 minutes in room temp, it will be perfect temp. I'm drinking a 9% A/V Russian Imperial stout from one of my breweries at the moment and the hops and bittersweet malt notes are duking it out for supremacy - its a beautiful thing. At room temp, the beer would be one dimensional. YMMV.

 

[undecagon]

Not to nitpick, but some imperial stouts and a couple Island style (Jamaican) stouts are fermented at lager temps with a lager yeast so they're technically lagers.

Exception to the rule :nana:

 

[rhogg]

Stouts and porters are both ales.

Fermenting methods and styles of beers are (I thought)are two different things. A typical ale or lager will have a much lower final gravity than a porter or stout which contain much more sugars, or complex carbohydrates like dextrin, which are not consumed by yeast. So barley-wines, and IPAs are ales too?

 

[rhogg]

Critisism and correction are the basis of learing..... I am wrong:

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Beer_types_diagram.svg
And I cannot spell. I bow down. Preach and teach my beer brothers!

 

[morton]

In my world, (my breweries anyway), barley wines, IPAs , bitters, pale ales, stouts, porters, brown ales, mild ales, cream ales, wheat beers, witbiers and ginger beers are made with various strains of ale yeasts. The other beers might be made with various lager yeasts, Belgian ale yeasts or (heaven help us!) Belgian lambic or other abbey yeasts.