Good afternoon friends,
After a long hiatus, I have started drinking beer again. Before, I was mainly drinking it for the effect. Now, I am much more concerned with the flavor of what I am drinking. It seems that most places I buy beer sell it cold. for now, I have limited refrigeration space.
Will the flavor suffer if I buy it cold, store it at room temperature then chill it again later?
Thanks
Short answer: probably not.
Longer answer: It depends on the beer and how you store it. Since you said you are now drinking for flavor, I’m going to assume that the beer you are buying** isn’t** BudMillerCoors. As long as you store your beer in a cool, dark place before it goes into the fridge, you shouldn’t have any problems.
On “taste”: Beer tastes best if it is served at the same temperature it was brewed at. That means ales get served in the 50s, lagers in the 40s, and American megabrews not at all.
Could you drink beers which aren’t supposed to be served chilled?
A man after my own heart.
Yeah, serving temperatures vary a good bit across styles. It’s my understanding that it’s not good to allow beer to warm up once it’s been cooled, only to re-cool it. I don’t know how true that is. A good resource is Beer Advocate .
I mainly use them as a repository of all the beers I’ve drank, through bookmarks to the beers listed on their site, but their forum is a pretty good resource for this kind of question (and nearly any other beer related question you can imagine!)
It’s also a good resource to find new beers. If you like a particular style, just search on the site and they’ll give you their rankings, which I often find to be pretty accurate. I once was on a real kick for Belgian Strong Dark Ales, and their #1 rated of that style was absolutely excellent, and the others in the top 10 were very good, mostly better any others I’d previously had.
I have, in the past, been frustrated with the community there. The average user there is definitely the epitome of the beer snob, and I’ve been made fun of before for asking a simple academic pronunciation question. That ticked me off and I started only asking empirical beer questions on the forum, and it was fine. These days, I hardly go there at all. But if you asked this question there, you’d probably get a whole mess of knowledgeable responses in a few hours.
95% of the people at BeerAdvocate are assholes. At least that was my experience with them a few years ago.
Repeated heating and cooling is bad for just about anything, but one cycle through won’t do much to a decent beer. longhair, ask the vendor if they have the beer you want in the back, instead of in the cooler. If you hit them when they aren’t busy, most will be glad to get a case out of the back for you. It saves them having to break it down to restock the cooler.
Friend silenus, This seemed to be the smart thing to do. Sunflower is trying to get me to allow her to buy me a larger refrigerator for my den. I have a suspicion that fathers day will make my dilemma disappear. For now, I am just stuffing the beer in there to the exclusion of the diet coke that was there before.
A wise decision. What beers are we talking about here? Maybe we can steer you to some others you’ll like.
So far, I have a rather pedestrian taste for corona extra with a wedge of lime. My daughter has a much more adventurous approach to beer and is planning to educate me.
Ice cold corona with lime is very tasty on a hot day. I did enjoy the rather warmer Guiness Stout my daughter bought me at the bar she frequents. I gather that needs to be on tap rather than from a can.
That’s a negative. Guinness Draught, both in cans and bottles does a pretty decent job at replicating the actual on tap experiance, and Guinness Extra Stout is barely carbonated and is awesome right out of the bottle.
Guinness packaged is adequate. But on draft it is sublime. If you are going to drink Corona then the “dark” in “cool, dark place” is imperative. Clear bottles allow beer to very rapidly become “skunked.” Corona is a notorious offender in this category.
A little research shows that there at least 3 brewpubs in Omaha:
Jaipur Brewing Co (Brewpub) phone: 402-392-7331
10922 Elm St
Omaha, NE 68144
Upstream Brewing Co (Brewpub) phone: 402-344-0200
514 S. 11th St
Omaha, NE 68102
Upstream Brewing Co (Brewpub) phone: 402-778-0100
171st & West Center Rd
17070 Wright Plaza
Omaha, NE 68130
Go into any of them and ask for a Sampler Tray. Then note what you like and why, then order a pint of your favorite. Lather, rinse, repeat. 
Jeez Silenus, you’ve gone from “advisor” to “enabler” in one fell post.
But as usual he’s 100% right. Last time I checked there were eleventeen jillion beers available out there, one of them (or maybe all of them) will fit your palate perfectly. Go forth, sample, report back and we beer folk can deluge you with similar things to try before we go of to Tangentland and debate those ideas into the ground. Some of us live for this stuff.
Beer, or Tangentland? 
Why the beers *of * Tangentland. That Pointless Aside Ale is some great stuff.
Try Obscure SubPoint Porter sometime. Marvelous!
Two of the three Brewpubs mentioned ( the Upstream locations) are customers of the company I work for and also are known for the good food served there. There is another Brewpub we frequent for the food called Granite City. I bought a club card there last week and I am planning to do just as you suggest.
The brewpub/sampling idea is a great way to get into craft beer, but a good way to supplement that is to just occasionally get a six pack (or a single) of beer that you haven’t tried but looks interesting.
The two major things that got me into craft beer were my buying a couple singles of interesting looking beers every week or so, as well as trying special offerings at bars.
A good brewery whose beers you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding is Dogfish Head . They have a wide distribution radius; though they don’t have any distributors in Nebraska, there’s one in Colorado which may or may not supply stores in Nebraska. Still, their offerings range from the mundane but tasty (pale ales, brown ales) to the crazy-weird (one of their beers contains grapes and honey and is based on a 9000 year old recipe). They’re by far the most adventurous brewery I’ve seen, and you’re sure to find something you’ll like from them.
So yeah, my brief foray into Tangentland. Happy drinking!
Some advice I’ve picked up over the years:
Never, ever drink beer marketed as “(Insert Country)'s National Beer”, or any variation thereof. Things like Heineken, Steinlager, Fosters, and so on are almost never drunk in the country of origin, and are instead flogged off at silly prices on the export market.
That doesn’t mean you should confine yourself solely to weird Belgian Fruit-Beers, microbrewed offerings from Trappist Monasteries, or region-specific brews only obtainable from a brewpub located three states away. Just be aware that anything marketed as being “Australia’s Beer” or “New Zealand’s Premium Export Lager” is not actually (as a general rule) consumed by people in that country, and with good reason…
Emphasis mine.
First point of advice, ignore anyone who passes off these brainless memes. You are talking to a close-minded beer snob who spends inordinate amounts of time bucking convention and feels validated by having the most obscure beer label in his or her hand for the sense of superiority it brings.
In truth, many small microbreweries make occasionally bad, and frequently inconsistent beers. It is true that they usually are more adventurous in their concoctions, but adventurous and good have never been synonyms. Of course many microbreweries make outstanding beer as well, but it important to understand that uncommon doesn’t always mean good, expensive doesn’t always mean good and mass marketed doesn’t always mean bad.
Additionally, imported beers should always been looked upon with the utmost suspicion. Beer snobs forever love to cite their “tradition” and high quality. This is another example of blatant label-slurping. Beer is quite simply a food product. As a result the concern above all else is freshness. Imported beers by their nature are going to be older beers. This doesn’t always mean they are undrinkable, but it certainly makes them a riskier proposition. Additionally they are required by US law to be pasteurized which essentially cooks those beers. For most people that alone should be a huge red-flag. Martini Enfield’s generalization that each countries “national” import is a fair one. Stella Artois for example is one of the worst beers in the world, in Belguim it’s considered their “wife beater beer” much like Busch and MGD are here.
Now, mass-market American light beers are generally going to fall into that category of “bad beer” that snobs love to pigeonhole them into, and that’s largely by their “light” nature. However to assume that this applies to the “American lager” style as a whole is foolish. American lager as a style is a very difficult style to perfect. That is the primary reason why it’s almost unheard of for a microbrewery to successfully make one. The lightly hopped, well carbonated profile makes it nearly impossible to hide off flavors and inconsistencies in the process. Budwesier’s most redeeming quality is that they are uncommonly good at making a consistent product using all natural ingredients. Additionally their commitment to fresh beer is also one which should be respected by beer drinkers. I take cryptic code dating to be a major warning sign. Miller produces consistent beer as well, though they are known for using chemicals and additives to achieve this.
All that said, everyone is welcome to their preferences. Do not assume that American style lagers are bad simply because they are ubiquitous. Try them and compare them to others and find your preference. If you enjoy Corona, it is similar in style to most American beers.
Another issue I have with beer-snobbery is it’s tendency to mutate into hop-mania. Most of the beer geeks on the SDMB and almost certainly those on Beer Advocate cannot convince themselves to enjoy and promote a beer that does not have an IBU (International Bittering Units) of over 40. Dogfish Head brewery mentioned above is most famous for their 60 minute IPA and 90 minute IPA, each with and 60 and 90 IBU rating respectively. They are good beers, however they fall into a category of “extreme beers”. They simply are not for everyone, and most likely they are not a variety I suspect a converted Corona drinker to take to initially. Unfortunately many supposed beer snobs will scoff at anyone who does not share their addiction to extreme hoppiness. I compare it to the “chile-head” fad in which the extreme heat of ultra hot franken-sauces is the only acceptable preference.
One more word of caution, local brewpub beer isn’t always that fresh. As noted above, freshness is a important consideration, so one would imagine that beer brewed on-sire would be the epitome of freshness. This simply isn’t always true. Good brewpubs will gladly promote when various batches of beer were barreled and the staff should know when each variety was brewed and packaged, but you need to understand that most brewpubs make several, if not dozens, of styles of beer. They are usually limited to a couple of fermentors and can only brew one or two styles at a time. As a result they must produce enough of each style at a time to last them until the next scheduled brewing. For certain specialty styles who’s appeal is limited that could mean a variation of many many months. So while it may have been brewed on-site, it could have been brewed before Xmas. Long story short, ask questions when you have educated servers available to you.
Now more directly to the OP’s question, the answer is yes…sort of. Warming and cooling of beer is generally a bad thing, however the effect is more pronounced on different brands and different styles.
First a little info on the way beer is distributed. Bottle beer, which is typically pasteurized, is going to be fairly shelf stable. Most brewers do not refrigerate bottle packages from the brewery to the distributor, then from the distributor to the bar or store. They are kept in generally cool and dark environments at as close to a consistent temperature as is reasonable. You should use that as the guideline for handling it once it gets to you. In a grocery store or liquor store, the beer that is warm in the aisles has probably never been chilled. If you don’t intend to drink the beer immediately you should probably be buying that. It’s better to keep room temperature at room temperature instead of buying cold beer only to have it warm up in your pantry. If you are going to be drinking beer in short order or taking it directly to your fridge, buy the beer from the cooler section.
Generally speaking that applies to all beers, but certain styles are designed to be more durable and to be handled at warmer temperatures. IPAs and other high-alcohol content beers are going be more shelf stable than a golden lager. As a result you can be a little less cautious in your handling of them. In fact most are intended to be enjoyed at closer to cellar temperature.
Of perhaps greater concern than variations in temperature is exposure to light. Moving beers from fridge to shelf can create opportunity for exposure to light if you’re taking it out of the cardboard package. When dealing with American style lagers and a wide range of European pilsners this is a major issue. Beers in clear or green bottles should be treated with extreme care. Also, darker beer just by their color tend to stand up to light better simply because the interior of the fluid isn’t exposed to as much light.
You should always take care in keeping your beer at home, but as a general rule you shouldn’t be buying more beer than you plan on consuming. Remember, it’s a food product and you should only buy as much as you intend to drink before your next shopping trip. If that’s going to be the case, the risk of mishandled beer is minimal.
Love you too, Bucky.
The only thing worse than a beer snob is someone who bends over backwards to be an unsnob. They usually fall right on their ass. Like here, for example. Had you taken the slightest moment to look up any of the myriad other beer-related posts I’ve made to this forum over the years, you’d have seen just how far down the road to irrelevance you have travelled.
*1B. Standard American Lager
Vital Statistics
OG 1.040 - 1.050
FG 1.004 - 1.010
IBU 8 - 15
SRM 2 - 4
ABV% 4.2 - 5.1
Aroma: Little to no malt aroma, although it can be grainy, sweet or corn-like if present. Hop aroma may range from none to a light, spicy or floral hop presence. Low levels of yeast character (green apples, DMS, or fruitiness) are optional but acceptable. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Very pale straw to medium yellow color. White, frothy head seldom persists. Very clear.
Flavor: Crisp and dry flavor with some low levels of sweetness. Hop flavor ranges from none to low levels. Hop bitterness at low to medium-low level. Balance may vary from slightly malty to slightly bitter, but is relatively close to even. High levels of carbonation may provide a slight acidity or dry “sting.” No diacetyl. No fruitiness.
Mouthfeel: Light body from use of a high percentage of adjuncts such as rice or corn. Very highly carbonated with slight carbonic bite on the tongue.
Overall Impression: Very refreshing and thirst quenching.
Comments: Strong flavors are a fault. An international style including the standard mass-market lager from most countries.
Ingredients: Two- or six-row barley with high percentage (up to 40%) of rice or corn as adjuncts.
Commercial Examples: Miller High Life, Budweiser, Kirin Lager, Molson Golden, Corona Extra, Foster’s Lager *
Since the OP mentioned the return to drinking beer for the flavor, that pretty much rules out American mega-brews, all of which are, by definition, lightly-flavored.
I generally refer to the mega-brewer product as “brewing naked,” because there is nothing to hide behind. All flaws are immediately noticeable. They are remarkably consistant at what they do. But to defend this bland consistency as a virtue is mockable.
This was a really nice post, though I was somewhat distraught to hear Stella Artois is supposed by some to be a bad beer. Someone handed me a glass last week, not telling me what it was. I drank it, decided it was one of my new favorites, and asked what kind it was. As I had thought, it was one I hadn’t had before–Stella Artois of course.
What’s supposed to be wrong with it?
I’m no connoisseure. For the record, some of my other favorites are “Trader Joe’s” (actually Gordon Biersch!) “Vienna Style” lager, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (in some moods), Summer Lager and Wheat Beer, Murphy’s Stout, Foster’s ESB, and I’ve forgotten a few others.
-FrL-