Author: Thomas Henry Strenk
Brooklyn-based writer specializing in all things drinkable
This was my kind of organ music: Right in front of the kitchen at Birch & Barley restaurant in Washington, D.C., rises a gleaming chorus of majestic organ pipes. No melodious notes emerge from these pipes, instead, over 50 draft lines descend from the temperature-controlled keg “cellars” of Churchkey bar on the second floor.
Even more impressive than this extensive draft list and the over 500 bottled beers stocked at this tandem beer bar and sophisticated eatery is the attention to service details. Churchkey’s beer list, which is also offered in Birch & Barley’s dining room, not only lists beer styles and ABV for each selection but also the type of glass and serving temperature. Different beer styles require different serving temperatures, explains Beer Director Greg Engert. Kegs and bottles are segregated into three different refrigerated zones of 42, 48 and 52 degrees Fahrenheit. “Those are not suggested temperatures,” notes Engert, “that’s what we serve them at.
Beer Ideals. Generally speaking, serve lower-alcohol, lighter-bodied, lighter-hued beers at lower temperatures, about 42 degrees. That means most lagers, pilsners and kolsch and golden ales are served at the lowest temp. That doesn’t mean ice cold, which numbs the tastebuds, inhibits carbonation and damps the flavor. As you move up the scale in body, color and flavor profile, turn up the heat half a dozen degrees or so. Pale ales, amber ales, altbier, bitters and IPAs benefit from a bit of warmth, about 48-50 degrees. Serve dark beers like porters and stouts and strong ales like barleywine a few degrees warmer. This allows aromatic volatiles to escape and tantalize tastebuds. Note, this doesn’t mean room temperature, 70 degrees, but rather, the so-called cellar temp in the mid-50s.
Wine Perfect. Many restaurants serve wine at the wrong temperatures. Whites come out of the reach-in cooler or ice bucket at tongue-numbing temps. Reds come out of the cellar, i.e., the back storeroom, warmer than the dining room ambient. Wrong on both counts. The whites will be too cold for your customers to taste anything at all and the reds will exhibit tired, flabby and alcoholic qualities. Serve red wines at about 62-66 degrees; older more expensive bottles at the higher end of that scale. Inexpensive, fruity young wines like Beaujolais benefit from a slight chill–but don’t over do it. Easy drinking summer whites are best cold, in the low 50s; same for that popular summer quaff rose. Better whites, those Burgundies, for example, open up at warmer temps, nearer to 58 or 60 degrees. An exception to the rule are sparkling wines and Champagne. Take them down to about 45 degrees, that’s reach-in cooler temps, and keep the bottle in an ice bucket between pours.
Cocktail Ice. Ice makes the cocktail. Ice not only chills the drink but mellows and integrates as it melts. Use hard cubes that aren’t wet but still frozen. And use plenty of it, at least two parts ice to one part ingredients. Stir drinks that are all-alcohol and no mixer, such as a Manhattan or Martini. About 20 seconds stir should do the trick. Cocktails employing mixers like juices, for example, a Margarita or Sidecar, should be shaken not stirred. Shake vigorously for 30-40 seconds; with experience you’ll be able to tell when the cocktail is properly shaken by how frozen your fingers holding the metal mix cup are. A trend with built drinks like a Whiskey Sour is using hand-chipped ice. Freeze large molds overnight, then chip off mini icebergs at the bar for dramatic flair. The large chunks keep the drink cold without diluting it too much.
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