Keep your ale from warming up

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robint

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In the interests of giving back to this forum (rather than just taking away gems of info) I propose member consider the use of this handled glass double wall mug
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Its borosilicate so quite tough. BTW Im in no way affiliated and the source is on Ebay. I only mention this cos of the satisfying improvement I get from taking a bottle of Real Ale from the Fridge and decanting most carefully as one does - then quietly enjoy a composed sipping of a quality brew which stays at cooled condition for at least 10-15 mins. Put that in a standard tankard and you will quickly notice how it warms up and is far less palatable when at 25C instead of 13C. So you tend to rush your pint. Its even worse when you are gifted with a few of those virtuoso Belgian Beers which most definitely need a slow necking to get the true brew (like a fine wine) Chimay, Duvel etc You can also keep your mugs in the fridge - even better temp control. So this is just my observation FWIW whats your take
 
Thanks for the tip. Not sure beer warming up to 25 c is a problem where I live though! :-)
 
Have owned a couple, but without handles, for five years now. They work like a thermos flask.

Have only ever used them to keep hot drinks warm, and they're great for making green tea in. Here the temperature difference, is 80 - 25 = 55°C.
Keeping beer cool, using your temps of 25 & 13°C, is a 12°C difference.

On a single wall beer glass/mug, having a handle or stem, helps stop body heat heat warming the beer. But on twin wall mugs, a handle wouldn't make much thermal difference. Twin wall glass, makes it comfortable to hold, very hot drinks, without needing a handle.
 
Haven't they got stubby holders in the UK?
Nope not in the northern climes, its an Oz invention like the Wine box colostemy bag, certainlt essential for a stubby. Similarly used in the tropices for botlles, like a foam sock, once again essential as its amazing how quick a 330ml bottle of heinny from the fridge will warm up in 5mins when the ambient is 30C. A warm lager is pretty disgusting innit?

Talking of old cobbers and wharfies I knew in my travels, its believed that Poms thrive on warm flat ale - some truth in that, but when you have a well presented Real classic best bitter at 13C - its nectar - just dont let it warm up IMHO but a lot of punters dont know Jack about Real Ale anyway (landlords included btw - in fact worst places I found were with Karen Landladies who dont generally drink beer let alone give a monkies). We had a few of those in my manor but since Covid they have all faded. In fact there isnt a single old style Landlord's free house left for 20 miles around
 
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Haven't they got stubby holders in the UK?
I've never seen a stubby holder on sale in the UK. I brought mine over from Australia. Rather than being used to keep beer cold, I tend to use mine to keep my hands warm when drinking cans or bottles in winter. Useless for homebrew though, as it won't fit my pint glasses.
 
Only the Bogans drink from the bottle. I pour my beer, but as I have checked, the UK does have stubby holders
First beer I had from a cask I was shocked! not only warm but no carbonation! While being shocked I was surprised how good it was.
Garrett Oliver had the same experience and went on from managing bands to becoming the head brewer at Brooklyn Brewery .
 
Cripes, dont get me started on those Earls Court days

and those steel tinnies - big boggers a reputed quart 750ml, a real handfull and specially imported all the way from Oz to Uk 1971 as loudly proclaimed "get some Australia inside you"

Irony is, none of my mates from the colonies every heard of that swill back home
 

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Last beer I remember in a stubby was early Ruddles County. The bottles had those tear off caps.
This was ruined by Green King who moved the brewing from Oakham and its spring water to some Manchester trading estate using tap water whence it became known as Ruddle Counterfeit. Last I saw it was in a Spoons as a sour off taste serving (but then what do you expect in Spoons)
 
Now following my original stretch fridge you now have a commercial version that would accept a cask and spear and it could be tweaked to set an optimum serving at 10C straight at the bar counter - into a double wall glass tankard say. Thats Olympic standard quality but then todays punter wouldnt give a XXXX for such pretention.

Note how different the approach is to when you are in Belgium and some of those "old brown pubs" sampling some superb tripels. The etiquette on the continent is to consider any form of public drunkeness as so beneath contempt. Lager louts here are a UK disease that creates havoc in Spain, but what do I know

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This was ruined by Green King who moved the brewing from Oakham and its spring water to some Manchester trading estate using tap water whence it became known as Ruddle Counterfeit. Last I saw it was in a Spoons as a sour off taste serving (but then what do you expect in Spoons)
I remember going on a Greene King brewery tour in the early 2000s. One of the entries in the visitor book was "Good Lord, what on earth have you done to Ruddles County?!?"
 
I can tell it's my role in this forum to defend beers that everyone else hates :). I quite like Ruddles County. To me, it is a low ABV beer (3.4%) that has a nice yeasty thing going on. That said, I don't know what it was like in the old days pre green king, so I might feel differently if I knew it as something else.
 
This was ruined by Green King who moved the brewing from Oakham and its spring water to some Manchester trading estate using tap water whence it became known as Ruddle Counterfeit. Last I saw it was in a Spoons as a sour off taste serving (but then what do you expect in Spoons)
It was a good beer back in the day, now a poor facsimile.
 
Cripes, dont get me started on those Earls Court days

and those steel tinnies - big boggers a reputed quart 750ml, a real handfull and specially imported all the way from Oz to Uk 1971 as loudly proclaimed "get some Australia inside you"

Irony is, none of my mates from the colonies every heard of that swill back home
I have an old tin can opener for those cans, found it in the back paddock.
Same lines as this.
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It was Watneys who made Fosters in the UK. Just shows the power of advertising and the skill of John Elliot. A crap beer which Elliot promoted overseas to an overwhelming success. In an interview when he was CEO of Elders IXL jam he was saying there was an oversupply of apricots. The interviewer asked what he did with them. He replied, Made strawberry jam.
 
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