Monday Rant: Still Can't Taste the Cold

Not long after I turned 21-years-old in college I became one of the many that were sucked in to the hype of knowing that cold beer is better beer. There was a local watering hole that would keep those tall beer mugs in a freezer or cooler to maintain that beautiful frost. I now look back upon those days and frown at my ignorance.

See the beauty you miss if the glass is covered in frost?

Even more ignorant on my behalf is the fact that Blue Moon was once awesome out of such mugs. Now, with a good number of notches in my beer tasting belt I know for sure that one of the only ways for me to enjoy a Blue Moon is to actually have it ice cold because it actually hides some of the flavor.

I do keep a freezer mug on hand in case of emergencies. By emergencies I mean you have company and you didn't put enough of a certain beer in the fridge to chill. I'm sure a lot of beer geeks out there like myself have found themselves in a similar situation. In my book only then is a freezer mug acceptable.

Still, the fact remains that there are people that make it a habit to drink beer from a frosted mug. It's perfectly alright for them to do so, but in my opinion the colder the beer is the less flavor you can get out of it and onto your palette.

Unlike the Coors Light commercials telling you to taste the cold, I believe a good beer should be consumed out of an unfrosted glass and enjoyed visually. It should be completely taken in like a significant other before you drink it. Notice the how the beer's flavor changes as it warms, too.