Ice cubes in beer: is this popular pub order atrocious or ingenious?

"Name: Icy beer. Age: Niche for a while, now horribly mainstream. Appearance: There's no way to sugarcoat this, it's beer with ice cubes in it. I see we're talking about psychopaths today. If by psychopaths you mean 28% of all 18-35-year-olds, then yes. To clarify: one in four adults under the age of 35 enjoy their beer with ice cubes in it? Slightly more than one in four, yes. But only when it's warm outside."

"And yet there is undeniable proof of it, in the form of a survey of 2,000 people that was recently commissioned by LG. The television manufacturing brand? That doesn't make it any less valid. What's more, there's a good chance that the survey is conservative. The true number of icy beer fanatics is probably much higher. Why is that? Because another 10% said embarrassment was holding them back from requesting ice in their beer, and another 20% said that they had previously been told off by friends, family and bar staff for requesting it."

"Seriously, though, why is putting ice cubes in beer a bad thing? Because beer is already delicately flavoured enough as it is, so diluting it with melted ice risks rendering it tasteless. Plus, a lot of work went into crafting that flavour profile. Don't just mess it all up because you like your glass to clink when you swirl it. Where did this horrible trend originate? France, apparently. In the southern regions, it is normal to do it on a hot day."

A recent survey of 2,000 people commissioned by LG found roughly 28% of 18–35-year-olds enjoy beer with ice cubes, mainly when the weather is warm. The survey may understate prevalence because 10% cited embarrassment and 20% reported being told off for requesting ice. Critics argue that adding ice dilutes delicate, carefully crafted beer flavours, rendering them tasteless. The practice is common in southern France on hot days. Mixed beer drinks and variations such as shandies and diesel-style mixes demonstrate existing precedents for combining beer with other liquids despite social criticism.

Read at www.theguardian.com