British beer drinkers say the Americanization of their pubs has reached its logical conclusion — beer topped by a layer of ice crystals.
Coors Sub Zero launched recently in the UK is a lager beer designed to be served at a temperature a few degrees below the freezing point, allowing a layer of slush to form below the foamy head.
The Campaign for Real Ale or CAMRA questions the need for such a drink.
“If you serve any yellow liquid at that temperature you could probably drink it,” spokesman Iain Loe told The Telegraph. “Cynics would say that it was just a way of concealing the fact there’s no taste there. And if there are any off flavors, you are not going to notice.”
Traditionally, pubs have served beer at around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, although the temperature has been trending down.
Coors says that 100 pubs will be getting the Sub Zero system this year. The process is a complicated one, including several cooling stages and a small sonic pulse to get ice crystals forming.