There is actually a scientific explanation behind why cold beer's flavor is more appreciated, as opposed to foam served at a higher temperature. Chinese researchers have understood the relationship between taste perception of alcoholic beverages and serving temperature.
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With the return of the sun comes the opportunity to gather around a table for aperitifs, reviving the debate between those who prefer rosé and others who lean more toward beer to toast. Either way, bartenders usually recommend putting the bottles in the refrigerator a few hours in advance to ensure they are served fresh. Who among us has never found a glass of Syrah or a pint of nice blond ale because they weren't expecting it to cool down? A serving habit that allows you to highlight the ethanol which is nothing but a flavor enhancer, in the same way as salt is used in cooking. In fact, putting a bottle of beer in the refrigerator before consumption is not a custom or a cultural fact, but a recommendation linked to a very concrete scientific explanation!
In fact, it's all about molecules, shapes and chains. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have just found in a study published in the journal Matter that the way it is organized with water molecules determines the taste of alcoholic beverages. When the temperature changes, the entire structure of the water and ethanol is modified again, thus changing the flavour.
More precisely, in drinks between 5% and 11% strength such as beer, water molecules are trapped inside a pyramid formed by ethanol molecules. The molecular organization changes when the amount of alcohol increases. In this case, the structure of water and ethanol appears more in the form of a more regular chain and we feel the taste of the alcohol better. So the key is to lower the temperature. This manipulation makes it possible to modify the organization of the molecules so that the chain becomes completely regular, as in alcoholic beverages.
“Professional testers notice a stronger taste of ethanol in beer after it has been cooled. The results of these experiments show that there is a clear improvement in the chain-shaped structures at 5 °C in 5% and 11% ethanol solutions,” notes the study, which thus gives an accurate indication of the correct temperature. Ultimately, the warmer the pint becomes over the course of an aperitif, the less alcoholic it will taste. QED.
