As the days grow warmer, there’s nothing quite like cracking open a can or bottle of cold beer. But why does chilled beer taste so much better, while room-temperature beer resembles something less than appetizing? Researchers believe it all comes down to how alcohol behaves at the molecular level at different temperatures.
A team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences measured the “wetting angle” of a series of solutions made up of varying concentrations of ethanol in water. This research provided insights into how molecules in the mixture interact with one another. They found that at low alcohol concentrations, ethanol molecules formed distinct pyramid-like structures around water molecules. However, as the alcohol concentration increased, the ethanol molecules began to line up in chains.
These formations were influenced by temperature, as reported by the Daily Mail. In five percent ethanol solutions (similar to beer), they observed a more pronounced increase in chain structures when cooled to 5 °C compared to room temperature.
This explains why professional tasters note a stronger ethanol flavor in beer after it has been stored in the refrigerator. Ethanol has a bitter yet slightly sweet taste.
“That’s why we enjoy drinking cold beer,” said lead researcher Lei Jiang.