Ideal temp for pub beers - cask and keg

[kelper]

Am I alone in finding that most pubs now serve beer that is way too cold? To me, the best beer is served cool but not cold. Even up here in the Highlands, they refrigerate the cask beer - it's so cold I hate it. Since my homebrew epiphany, I have decided to give up visiting the two local inns.

When I were a lad, I think no pubs in England chilled their beers, they just cellared them. Cellars used to be 50 to 60 C, no more.

 

[Drunkula]

13c.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

One of the most important things in a beer cellar is temperature.
A UK beer cellar needs to be kept at a constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit) - 24 hours a day - 365 days a year.
This temperature can vary up or down by a degree or two but no more.
There are three very important reasons why your beer cellar temperature needs to be at a constant 12 degrees Celsius - (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Reason 1.
If you sell cask beers in your pub, club or bar then these need to be kept cold or they will go sour very quickly and taste of vinegar.
However we can’t make cask beers too cold or they suffer from a problem called ‘chill haze’ - this makes the beer in your pint glass look hazy and unappetising.
12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is the perfect balance between keeping your cask beer fresh and not having ‘chill haze’ problems.

Reason 2.
If you sell keg beers then the temperature needs to be kept constant - this is because your Brewery Engineer sets gas pressures for your keg beers and these gas pressures are fixed according to your cellar temperature - if your cellar temperature goes up and down like a yo-yo then it makes it impossible for your Brewery Engineer to fix the pressure correctly!

Reason 3.
Keg beers flow through additional cooler gadgets on the way to the beer taps on the bar and these additional cooler gadgets only work properly if the beer flowing into them isn’t warmer than 12 degrees Celsius.

www.cellartrainingcourse.co.uk/page28.html

 

[kelper]

But what temp is best for real ale?

 

[foxbat]

But what temp is best for real ale?

CAMRA's cask marque scheme allows 10-14C which should give you a baseline. My own opinion is that paler beers are better at the colder end of.the range and darker beers at the higher, despite what the Guiness company would have you believe.

 

[MickDundee]

CAMRA's cask marque scheme allows 10-14C which should give you a baseline. My own opinion is that paler beers are better at the colder end of.the range and darker beers at the higher, despite what the Guiness company would have you believe.

Even when I was pretty clueless about beer and had just started experimenting with thing like a Guinness, I couldn’t get away with the “Extra Cold” I would always specifically ask for the “normal” pump

 

[ACBEV]

My beer fridge is @ 12c and from time to time I'll cask a pin and keep that @ 12c. Also the pubs I frequent seem to keep their beer at around 12c too.

 

[kelper]

Cask Marque requires beers to be served between 11 and 13 deg C - and 15 deg C would be a fail. I must measure the keg beer in my local but it will be less than 12!

 

[bobukbrewer]

Keg is best served at minus 5 deg C

 

[CD]

Isn't it annoying having to waste good drinking time in a pub, sitting with your hands clasped round your pint glass, waiting for it to warm up enough to taste. Besides your hands get cold.

Just removed the 250 watt heater from my beer storage old chest freezer which stops it getting below 13 in the winter. Hope its not too soon.

 

[chesters-mild]

Me old dad, who worked for Chesters brewery for 40 odd years, once told me beer should be served at 52f. - about 11c.
Cheers

 

[kelper]

Here, in the Highlands, it's all keg beer and served icy cold. I'm thinking of taking heated rocks to the pub, or just staying at home.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I'm thinking of taking heated rocks to the pub

Are you going to throw them through the windows?

 

[-Bezza-]

But what temp is best for real ale?

If you're talking for your homebrew, then the best temp is whatever you like drinking it at!

I'd always understood the standard cellar temperature to be 12C so glad to see that's backed up by others here! Personally, I've been serve my beers a little colder than that at around 7C but I'm still experimenting so might up that to 10C.

 

[kelper]

12 deg C is a modern thing. I wonder if any oldies remember drinking what Americans called warm beer? Before refrigeration. I just don't like the sensation of two pints of cold beer swilling around in my stomach.

 

[Justin Dean]

I like my beer warmer say 15 16 for bottled beers.some pubs serve ale ad more like 5 degs c it is a sin, they even put bottled beers i the fridge. Idiots

 

[Justin Dean]

in fact I leave them at room temp which is more like 17 degs 18 degs in my house and 20 plus in the summer, "warm" beer is lovely

 

[bobukbrewer]

and 20 plus in the summer, "warm" beer is lovely

a bit fishy to me.............

 

[CD]

I made the following note in my brewery logbook in 1984: "The correct temperature for British Beer is 56 F (13.2 C), and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. (This means you have to warm it in the winter and cool it in the summer.)"

 

[Justin Dean]

Choices are individual. Like what you like.