how did the saloons keep their beer cold back in the old west times?

5 Responses to “how did the saloons keep their beer cold back in the old west times?”

1. Bert C on January 7th, 2009 1:07 pm
   

   The didn't. They kept it as cool as possible by keeping it in underground cellars but it was never cold in the old saloons. In the cities, ice was "mined" from lakes and rivers in the winter and kept through the rest of the year and used in many ways for those who could afford it but not in the "old west" towns you are referring to.

   Bert
   References :
2. landhermit on January 7th, 2009 1:20 pm
   

   Saloons served up volumes of beer, but in those days the beer was never ice cold, usually served at 55 to 65 degrees. Though the beer had a head, it wasn't sudsy as it is today. Patrons had to knock back the beer in a hurry before it got too warm or flat. It wasn't until the 1880's that Adolphus Busch introduced artificial refrigeration and pasteurization to the U.S. brewing process, launching Budweiser as a national brand. Before then, folks in the Old West didn't expect their beer to be cold, accustomed to the European tradition of beer served at room temperature.

   —————————————————

   Fort Worth's Wild White Elephant Saloon
   For three decades, the Main Street establishment offered some of the finest gambling and food in the Wild West, as well as a few shootouts to remember.

   The White Elephant bragged that it served "the best brands of old sour mash whiskeys in the state" as well as "ice cold" beer. The first was a demonstrable boast; the second was possible only after the Crystal Ice Company began manufacturing the stuff year-round starting in March 1887.

   ——————————————————————–

   Keeping beer cold in the Old West

   (idea) by mr100percent (1.4 wk) (print) ? Mon Oct 15 2001 at 3:45:51

   Any way they could. In the Ninteenth century, beer wasn't drunk as cold as today, the English and Chinese still drink pints of ale warm, but the cowboys prefer it cool.
   In colder areas of the Western US, saloons gathered ice from frozen lakes. The ice was stored in ice houses where large blocks of it were insulated with sawdust, keeping it frozen for months.
   Even where it wasn't cold enough to freeze, a lot of saloons had access to a cool mountain stream, where they'd get cool water from a cistern to cool the barrels. What if there was no stream? Well, until 1880, most saloons had a root cellar, usually built into the side of a hill and stored beer under 50 degrees farenheit.
   What if you wanted cool beer at home? Most of the time, people ordered it take-out, in buckets or whatever, sometimes children brought it home, about the same as any fast food nowadays.
   Anyways, it sort of cooled itself naturally by having some of the alcohol evaporate. Also, it doesn't have to be cold, as there was no carbonation. Today, you need it cold to hide the taste of carbon dioxide.
   –facts taken from Do Penguins Have Knees? by David Feldman, of Imponderables fame
   References :
   http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-Saloons.html

   http://www.historynet.com/culture/wild_west/3026841.html

   http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1179067
3. Kekionga on January 7th, 2009 1:57 pm
   

   They didn't.

   In fact many parts of Europe today still have beer at room temperature even today.

   hey might have kept beer in the coller basement , in a cave, or in a cool stream to cool it off a bit, but for the most part it was inbibed at room temperature.

   (btw, that's the way I drink my soda pop… room temp!)

   -K
   References :
4. gymratgumby on January 7th, 2009 2:02 pm
   

   Ever notice how guys in the old west always ordered whisky shots? That's because beer tasted nasty and warm.

   Regardless, a drink is a drink, and I need one right now…
   References :
5. Claude D on January 7th, 2009 2:44 pm
   

   they did not for the most part
   References :

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