Binny’s Mailbag: Warm Beer, Cold Beer  [ ed: We have covered
this issue before. But Vav's explanation is worded so well that
we couldn't help but post it here on the Binny's Blog. It's a
common question. ]   I just bought a case of Petrus Aged Pale
Ale. I opened it up when I got home and noticed it was cold. I
thought this was probably a mistake since most people buying in
bulk would want it warm so they can cool it at their leisure. I
called to see if I could exchange it, and the guy said I could
but the beer would be fine. Basically it’s a myth about the
warming/cooling of beer that leads to aged taste or skunkiness,
and exposure to light matters. I was confused, having thought
that was a factor.  - D.G.    Hi D.G.   The beer is absolutely
fine for a number of reasons. Bear with me. There’s a lot of
science coming up.   “Skunking” is a specific occurrence in
beer, not a catch all for when beer goes bad.   Beer uses hops
as its bitter component to balance the sweetness of malt. When
hops are added to the bee