We already know what the beer purists think, but we find out if this trend is worth a go.
It’s kicking off online. As usual, the hyperbolic headline writers have come out swinging for everyone’s favourite soft target, Gen Z, for having the cheek to do something different. In this case, it’s putting ice in their beer – an act that the outraged media are calling an ‘alarming new trend’ that ‘breaks traditional beer rules’ and causes regular drinkers to ‘react with horror’. How dare they!
Honestly, we love a bit of drama over here, but let’s all take a few calming breaths and be rational about this one. Is putting ice in beer really such a big deal? And should we be blowing up about TikToks and icy-mouthed Zillenials before even trying the trend ourselves? Come on, let’s find out what all the fuss is about.
If you’ve ever ordered a nice cold pint and sat in a sweltering beer garden, you’ll know that it doesn’t stay cool for long. Your mate with an ice-filled glass of Gin and Tonic will be having no such trouble. Ice makes drinks cold, after all. So, if you wanted to make your beer colder, it would seem logical to add ice, right?
Our fridges generally sit somewhere between 0 and 4°C, and beer out of a keg line is about 3 to 4°C. Freezers are supposed to be -18°C, so we’d expect ice to be around that temperature. This means that even if you’re out of the hot sun, beer will still never be quite as cold as the drinks that traditionally get topped up with ice. Unless you’re sticking a tinnie in the freezer (preferably with an alarm set so you remember it before it freezes), adding ice is just an effective way to get your beer extra cold.
A quick science detour: ice doesn’t just give its coldness to a liquid – it takes heat away. When ice comes into contact with a warmer liquid, the heat energy of the liquid is absorbed, the ice begins to melt and the cold, icy water then rapidly cools the liquid. The result is a nice cold bev but, as you’ve probably guessed by now, it’s a slightly diluted one.
That dilution is actually a big plus for cocktails, and it happens naturally when stirring or shaking (and it’s also why we add water to our batched Freezer Door Martini, FYI). Beer, though, isn’t really improved by dilution – it just sort of dulls the flavours. This is where the trend hits a snag because the idea of diluting beer isn’t all that attractive. But, hey, if you value low temperatures over concentrated flavours, then adding ice shouldn’t be a problem.
Looking at those articles, you’d think Gen Z invented the idea of adding ice cubes to beer. With apologies to those pioneering pint drinkers on TikTok, it seems like the trend is kind of widespread already – especially in the hotter areas of the world, where beer has to contend with tropical humidity and scorching summers.
You’ll sometimes see ice floating in beer glasses in places like Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, the south of France and Costa Rica. It’s by no means the default way of drinking beer, but it’s definitely not so unusual to warrant those sorts of headlines.
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, okay? We agree that not every beer style would work with ice, but some have more potential than others. Here are a few we recommend trying:
Pale lagers/Mexican cervezas/Japanese rice lagers: These are all lighter-style beers made to be clean, crisp and low on bitterness. Dilution shouldn’t pose much of a problem here, while an icy edge could be a big plus on a hot day.
Sours: Sour beers are great warm-weather beers to begin with, but we think dropping the temperature could give the style a boost. And while dilution could be a small issue, those with a strong sour kick might actually benefit from a little softness.
Double/triple IPAs: Big, strong, concentrated and high-alcohol beers are always divisive. Some of us love the palate-punching flavours, while others can find them overwhelming. While we wouldn’t recommend it as a regular occurrence, diluting a double or triple IPA with ice and chilling it right down could make some styles easier to drink. And yes, we know this is a controversial call in some beer-loving circles. Deal with it.
