I'm unsure why not many bars in Switzerland serve beer in frosted glasses. Last summer, I visited Mythos restaurant in Zurich, where they serve beer in ice-cold glasses, creating a refreshing experience. I'm not certain if it affects the beer's taste, but personally, I enjoy chilled beer in a frozen glass. I'm curious about the preferred way to serve beer; perhaps German or Czech beer connoisseurs on this forum could shed some light.
As Tom1234 mentioned, a lager beer served at 3-5°C when air temp is 40+ °C is awesome. It's certainly refreshing, but it lacks a lot of flavor. Between this and tap water with lots of ice there's not much difference...anyway I have a dozen of them per day when I vacation at home, cold water that gives you a buzz
A German Weissbier a bit warmer, 8-10°C. Trappist ones from Belgium, 12-14°C. Weird bier with 10+% alcohol, also around 12°C. Otherwise, no flavor, no aroma.
Essentially what Tom1234 and Axa said. Bear in mind that the colder the beer, the less the flavor you get (as with anything really). As much as there's charm in a frozen glass and it looks great on a Greek beach during summer, this is far from ideal from a drinking experience. In general, I call these "situational" lagers which in general are absolute $hit, but in the situation (A Greek beach) they are awesome. Same things goes for Spanish and Italian lagers.
I personally despise the modern fashion of lukewarm and undercarbed beers under the premise that this gives more flavor. Nothing worse than a "NEIPA" which looks, tastes and feels like a badly squeezed orange juice. Look at what the Belgians GENERALLY do: carb high, chill down to 4-5c and pour. A flavorful beer will naturally warm up and decarb changing the flavors you experience while you sip it.
I haven't had or seen a frozen mug in years. Where have you? They were quite the attraction when I was a kid though and Id probably enjoy one today. I could see it being a logistical issue in Switzerland. Not enough freezer space. Too high energy costs to store a bunch of mugs. No demand. Who knows.
Or it could be that people would just complain about their glass dripping or their hand getting cold.
The alcohol content is also an important factor together with what it is served in. Some pubs (experience from Sheffield, England, many years ago ) would sell some beers only in half pint quantities, for example Theakstons Old Peculiar. I’ve just looked it up https://www.theakstons.co.uk/pages/t…s-old-peculier and it and the current brew’s strength is 5.6% (quite tame by standards of today) but maybe the recipe has been mellowed over the years.
If any beer is served in a ceramic mug (which I actually like) there is the risk of getting 50% beer and a generous head which is poor value for money. Complaining may result in getting it topped up out of the contents of the drip tray.
I’ve also noticed that if you order a bottled wheat beer (say Erdinger), which is often poured with some ceremony while you watch, the glass is already prepared with a small quantity of water. I didn’t understand why until one day the glass was first deposited on my table and I took the opportunity of tipping the water out on to the serving tray. The barmaid complained and told me that this was to make it easier to pour because it inhibited excess foaming.
Awww.. come on. Most of you lot were raised on a diet that consisted of can of carling black label or a ton of Watneys party 7, Hai Karate and a pack of Woodbines,
Where is this beer snobbery a-coming from all of a sudden?
I remember. In those days, a beer can (maybe Double Diamond) was quite difficult to open without the correct implement (a Swiss army penknife would sort of work).
This would be a wrong way to serve it. Glasses for certain styles are "primed" by rinsing them with water (in some places you would see the system in which they turn the glass upside down, press it on a water sprinkler and it rinses the inside). There is definitely a bit of water left, but this should be a result of rinsing the glass, not pouring a small amount of water in the glass. The difference is that because the water acts as a lubricant, particularly in German styles, this allows the head (the foam) to be controlled and not overdone. Also, in general, glasses should not be washed in a dishwasher, however in a commercial premises they most often are. Rinsing them with water should help in removing whatever remnants of sanitizer and detergent are left which are generally foam negative (in other words you get a good head and then it dissipates quickly).
Challenge accepted, next time I am among the pointy bits I will watch you pour a dry glass of Weizen in the only approved manner.. The one where you have the bottle fully in the glass and pull it out, not gently pour dribble for excruciating dribble. People have died of thirst that way.