Patrick Mullen likes his beer cold. Perhaps, a little too cold for some tastes.

“I catch heck from some of the purists who think the Belgian beers should be warmer,” says Mullen, co-owner with his wife, Beth, of Patrick’s Kitchen and Drinks in Zionsville. “But I’m all about cold beer. Besides, you can always let it warm up at your table.”

Mullen is one of the few beer men around who uses a glycol chiller to keep his beer cold from the keg in cold storage right up to the pull at the tap.

“Some bars around town have these 100-foot tap lines that run through the floor, and there’s nothing keeping the beer fresh and cold,” said Mullen. "The first eight ounces of your 14 or 16 ounces could be old beer.

“Not with the chiller. It’s always fresh.”

Question: How does a glycol chiller work?

Answer: A refrigeration unit chills two circulating lines of glycol (a food grade anti-freeze), inbound and outbound. The beer lines coming from cold storage are wrapped around the glycol line, and the whole bundle is insulated. It keeps the beer at a consistently cold temperature.

Q: What’s the normal range in beer temperatures?

A: 34 to 42 degrees.

Q: You also use a nitrogen blender to dispense your beer. How does that work?

A: Most beer is dispensed by CO2 gas propellant. If you blend in nitrogen, you get smaller bubbles and a creamier head. We push our stout beer with 60 to 75 percent nitrogen. It cuts down on that wasted foam.

Q: How many beers are on your list?

A: About 40, with at least five on tap, ranging from $2.75 for domestics to $12.50 for the 22-ounce Three Floyds. It changes about every week.

Q: How do you know what to put on your beer list?

A: There are as many beers as there are wines, and more, so it’s not easy. I have a few advisers. I listen to our guests, too. I started out with a dream list of beers that I like, which are IPAs (India pale ale). The list is pretty heavy with IPAs and good Belgians.

Q: Do certain beers match better with foods?

A: There are pairings that enhance the food and enhance the beer. A hoppy beer will complement spicy foods. But I think most beer drinkers drink what they like and eat what they want.

Q: What is your favorite beer?

A: I prefer IPAs and red ales. Lower carbonated, hoppy beers that have an astringent quality to them. A citrusy flavor. They’re refreshing in the summer, and usually a little higher alcohol content.

Q: What is the alcohol content?

A: Each beer style has a specific alcohol range that it’s required to maintain in order to be described as that style. You see barley wines at 16 percent. Dogfish Brewing makes a 120 Minute IPA that is 20 percent. Most American beers hover around 5 percent. Nine and 10 percent are not unusual in IPAs.

Q: What’s the latest trend in beers?

A: Right now, New Belgium’s Fat Tire amber ale has the allure that Coors had back in the day. It’s a great beer. IPAs continue to be huge.

Q: What’s the best Indiana beer?

A: There are so many good ones, and I’m going to get in trouble for the ones I don’t mention. Gotta love what Floyd Rosenbaum is doing at the Bloomington Brewing Company. That’s my overall favorite. Three Floyds in Hammond is making fabulous beer. John Hill’s bitter at Broad Ripple Brew Pub is delicious. I like Upland’s wheat beer. Basically, Indiana is a pale ale kind of state.