It's certainly true that Americans usually drink beer too cold to cover up for the flavorlessness of the megabrewed "pale lagers". These taste terrible especially when warm and flat, but flavorful craft beers don't have this problem. I prefer lots of drinks with ice: most sodas are too syrupy and sweet out of the can, and ice helps dilute them. Or take that quintessential Southern beverage: iced tea. If you're outside for a couple hours in sweltering 100-degree heat, you'll want a drink that's half ice. Besides, the ice quickly melts anyway. Germans don't have this situation.

Another asks:

Have you ever read A Confederacy of Dunces? Remember the "valve"?