Scientists Officially Figure Out Why Cold Beer Tastes Good

Scientists have finally figured out one of the greatest questions in the history of mankind:

Why does cold beer taste so good?

If you're an OutKick reader, there's a high chance that you're a fan of drinking cold ones from time to time. Whether it's while mowing your lawn on a Thursday night to impress the great Joe Kinsey, tossing them back at a tailgate in the fall for college football or maybe just drinking a Modelo over chips, OutKick readers like beer. I like beer. You like beer. No, we will not apologize for it.

But do any of us really know why it tastes so good? The answer might not be what you expect.

Scientists figure out why people love cold beer.

Lei Jiang at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his team set out to figure out why cold beer is so delicious, according to NewScientist.com, and it boils down to one thing:

The temp impacts the "chain-like clusters" of water and ethanol molecules that impact the taste of beer.

Why does cold beer taste so good? (Credit: Getty Images)

NewScientist.com reported the following on Jiang's study:

The researchers uncovered that these jumps happened when clusters of water and ethanol molecules changed shape, shifting from compact, pyramid-like structures to long, chain-like ones. Jiang says that colder and less alcoholic liquids had a greater proportion of pyramid clusters and were associated with a more refreshing flavor.

‘When the temperature drops, the structure becomes more compact, which is why chilled beer has a more stimulating taste,’ he says.

In warmer drinks and those with higher ABVs, more chain-like clusters dominated, and their flavor was more pungent and ethanol-heavy.

There you have it, folks. I'm not even going to pretend I have any idea what the hell "clusters of water and ethanol molecules changed shape, shifting from compact, pyramid-like structures to long, chain-like ones" means in terms of the temp impacting it. We'll let the smart people in China handle that one.

All I'll say is I thought beer tasted good because of *checks notes* the alcohol in it. Turns out it's a lot more complex and complicated than that. The more you know!

Scientists figure out why cold beer tastes so good. (Credit: Getty Images)

In case you're wondering what impact this development will have for me, the answer is not much. The only difference now is that when I'm drinking cold beer (should start at some point later today), I'll at least feel smarter doing it. I consider that a win for science. Let me know your reactions at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.