An American living in London has sparked debate after sharing one thing about pubs she says would leave most Americans shocked – and she’s not convinced Brits are getting it right
Pubs are a massive part of British culture where they act as community hubs and welcoming spaces for social gatherings. They also serve traditional food and alcoholic drinks, including beer, cider and wines.
People who aren’t from the UK might be confused about some aspects of pubs, such as Devin, a woman from America who lives in London. She shares differences she has noticed between the US and the UK on TikTok, as well as her own opinions and British experiences. The expat recently posted a video on the platform talking about one observation she has made relating to pubs.
Devin said: “One thing that English people do that would absolutely shock Americans is warm beer.”
The Californian woman explained she had some friends over from the US who were confused about why beer is “warm” in England and not “ice-cold” as they had expected.
She revealed she agrees with them and shared that whenever she orders a pint when she’s out she wants it to be “refreshing and crisp”, with the exception of Guinness, which she considers to be a “winter beer”.
Devin thinks any other beer that isn’t served ice-cold “just feels wrong”. The expat ended her video by saying she simply doesn’t understand it and she asked her viewers to explain.
In the caption of her TikTok post she wrote: “Siding with the Americans on this one sorry.”
The clip has amassed thousands of views and more than 100 comments with plenty of Brits disagreeing that beer is served “warm” in pubs.
One baffled user asked: “Warm beer? No British man will drink a warm beer.” Another declared: “Warm beer isn’t a thing.”
A third chimed in: “Warm beer? As a Brit, I have never and could never drink warm beer.”
Giving some explanation, a different Brit commented: “It’s not warm, it’s cellar temp so around 10 degrees.
“Cask ale is beer in its purest form. The only beer that should be ice cold is tasteless macro lager, ice cold masks flavour.”
Someone else remarked: “If your pub serves you warm beer you need to give it them back, tell them it’s warm and go to a different pub but I’m English and [have] never been served a warm beer.”
According to BrewDog, a well known multinational brewery and pub chain with locations across the UK, beer should be served at a temperature between 3-13°C.
However, it states the perfect temperature for beer depends on the style, serving method and room temperature with lagers ideally served between 3 and 7°C, ales between 7-12°C and stouts at the top of the range, served at 11-13°C.
BrewDog adds that cold temperatures “enhance the bitterness and dryness of the beer, leading to a crisp, thirst-quenching feel” but low temperatures “inhibit the aromas of the ingredients, masking the flavour”.
