Cold, I love me some Ales and porters. Don't care much for the mass produced pilsners. The darker the better for the most part.
Just before the beer begins to freeze. And that would be either a Heineken, Fosters, MooseHead or a Labatt Blue.
I would recommend picking up Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer for anyone interested. There's a few pages in there with a chart on suggested serving temperatures pertaining to different styles. Working in the beer industry, I find that most people assume "cold = good" That may be true for some styles (Light American Lagers, Cream Ale, etc.) but it's really taking away from the subtleties you'll find in most. As the beer warms, you'll be able to pick up more aroma & and therefore, get more from the flavor, since smell is incredibly linked to our sense of taste. If I had to pick a favorite style, it's Imperial Stout. & I prefer to drink those at cellar temps - 50 - 55F.
Oatmeal stout, in the 50 degree range I'd guess, but i dont check with a thermometer. Somewhat warmer is okay too. Right out of the icebox covers up too much flavor.
The wife works at a beer distributor and they handle a lot of beers which include Fosters and Labatts Blue. She brings home beer that does not sell by the due date ( 30 days in the store and they have to pull it and destroy) I love the labatts but the Fosters is just hard for me to get down. They get a lot of it back. My favorite that she gets are the Corona and Modelos
