BobL - thank you for being the only respondent actually to address my question. Your answer makes sense to me.

Steve Shaw - in warm weather, cold beer is refreshing to me, while in cold weather it makes me feel cold. So I drink it at what the British (I think) call "cellar temperature". This actually allows me to taste it more; and though Elephant is technically a Pilsener-style lager, it really has a lot of flavor (and alcohol, 7%), more than, say, standard Carlsberg. Don't the English drink their ales at less than freezing temps?

Freddy Headey - when I was young, I'd bring a small pot of water to the boil, add the egg, and after three minutes had a perfect soft-boiled egg. Over the years, I noticed that I had to cook it longer to achieve the same result - firm white and liquid yolk. The same technique now takes six minutes to achieve this, and I'm mystified. I've always lived close to coasts, so altitude is not a factor.