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Slate.com had a great piece on why you should not serve good beer ice cold. The whole piece is worth the read but here’s the important part.

Sensory scientists like Sue Langstaff make a living thinking deeply about how our foods and drinks look, taste, and smell. The longtime beverage industry consultant walked me through the science behind why my Pennant Ale went so wrong: Since key aromatic compounds cannot volatilize at lower temperatures, they won’t release their scent into the headspace gas above the liquid. Put more plainly, the smell the brewer wants you to experience is muzzled; any fruity or floral character is literally on ice.

Beverages lose carbon dioxide as temperature increases, so the cold also heightens the tingling sting of the carbonation. Frigid temperature is therefore ideal for the thin, tasteless lagers flowing out of large breweries. The big brewers know their beer has little to offer in the way of flavor or aroma, so their marketing stresses ice-cold refreshment. If the drink can’t provide taste, at least drinkers can feel something on their tongues when it’s hyper-chilled.

via Don’t believe Coors and Budweiser, colder isn’t better. – Slate Magazine.

It’s gotten to the point that with a few rare exceptions I don’t drink beer at restaurants. Nearly every time, they are going to do it wrong. Those ice frosted mugs also have the disadvantage of melting that ice into your beer, essentially watering it down. It’s hard enough to find really good beer in most restaurants anyhow.

On a cold night, there is nothing better than hearty food for supper. My kids and I got in the kitchen and tried this mac and cheese recipe from the foodie blog How Sweet It Is.

Easy Beer Mac and Cheese | How Sweet It Is.

We used Saint Arnold Weedwacker as the beer in the recipe. The crunchy texture of the panko bread crumbs offset the soft gooey texture of the mac and cheese. It turned out really well. As my kids said, it was “the bomb dot com”.

I had a Saint Arnold Elissa IPA to go with it. Absolutely perfect.

I think next time I might try a different beer (a porter or a stout) and maybe some other types of cheese. The other thing I might also try was suggested by How Sweet It Is: bacon. Yes, bacon or maybe even a bit of prosciutto. Come to think of if, Saint Arnold’s Winter Stout comes out next month. If I can get my hands on some I’ll try this one again with it in the cheese sauce.

My pic didn’t turn out as well as How Sweet It Is’ photos. Hit the link to see the originals.

The New York Times has a great piece about the Kolsch beer style.

What is it about Kölsch? Well, it’s a snappy and beautifully refreshing golden ale, bright without being overbearing. From the first sniff of its grainy, malty aroma, to the delicately fruity, lightly bitter flavors in the mouth, to the brisk, clean, energetic feeling after you swallow, a good Kölsch offers a smooth journey of sensations that may be unremarkable individually but are extraordinarily pleasant as an ensemble.

On the whole I thought the article was good, but they kind of glossed over some really good American Kolsch style beers. My favorite is Saint Arnold’s Fancy Lawnmower.

Great story from Nathan Berrong at CNN’s Eatocracy blog on West coast beers.

The staple West Coast beer is the hop heavy, India Pale Ale. Commonly referred to as the IPA, it is also a very common beer style across the country, as nearly every brewery in the US has their own version of it. But, no one brews them better than Sierra Nevada in Chico, California, which has been brewing amazing IPAs for over 30 years, long before the craft beer explosion began.

I love Sierra Nevada beers, they are one of my favorite breweries.