Define "cellar temperature"

[seymour]

So I know we Americans have the reputation of always serving beer too cold. I keep hearing that in England, beer is considered best at cellar temperatures, but what does that really mean? What is the temperature of an English cellar?

I typically bottle my beer, then simply stick a few in the fridge awhile before I plan to drink them. I'm trying to configure a more traditional method of dispensing my real ale, via beer engine connected to a cask. I've never paid much attention to the temperature in my unfinished basement. It's cooler than the rest of the house, not directly heated per se, but gets some ambient climate control from the furnace/air conditioner unit, hot water heater, laundry machines, etc. I wonder if my beer will be at a suitable temperature for dispensing beer throughout the year?

Those of you who serve you beer more or less traditionally, from casks, pressure barrels, even kegs which aren't kept in a fridge, etc:
Can you describe your experiences?
What do you recommend as an ideal temperature range?
What do you do when the ambient temperature isn't in that sweet spot?

Cheers!
-seymour

[Andy]

For me, 11-13 degC. Beer fridge in the garage for summertime, drink colder beer in the wintertime (as the beer is in the garage which can get a bit nippy at times)

[jaroporter]

i've always had it down as around 11-13C. realistically for me that's only really possible with a brewfridge that i keep around 13-14C. might have some other beers "stored" at either room or workshop temperature but if i'm on it (as in organised.. ) they'll get brought in to the fridge to serve..

[adeybambam]

Agreed. Was drinking from a polypin in the garage at the weekend which was at about 10.5 degrees which tasted too cold for me.

[seymour]

Hmmm, so 11-13°C is 51.8-55.4°F to us stubborn Americans. That's definitely cooler than my basement even during winter months. I don't have a garage or other unheated space.

So, what should I do to serve cask ale down there? Does anyone use some kind of line chiller between the cask and the beer engine?

[jmc]

Hmmm, so 11-13°C is 51.8-55.4°F to us stubborn Americans. That's definitely cooler than my basement even during winter months. I don't have a garage or other unheated space.

So, what should I do to serve cask ale down there? Does anyone use some kind of line chiller between the cask and the beer engine?

Can you make a kegerator to store it in?
I use one in the garage sat at 12C for ale and a touch cooler (10C) in Summer for golden ales, Saison's etc.

In the UK Cask Marque check for a specific beer temperature before they give pubs a Cask Marque accreditation
Quote from: http://cask-marque.co.uk/info-for-pubs/ ... mperature/

Cask Ales
To experience all the smells and tastes that the brewer wants you to, cask ale must be dispensed at the correct temperature. If the beer is too warm unpleasant and unplanned aromas will be given off, too cold and the clean, fresh, vibrant tastes will be lost.

The recommended dispense temperature of the majority of brewers is between 11 – 13°C. Cask Marque audits to a required range of 10-14°C allowing a little leeway.

[adeybambam]

Yes - I have a maxi chiller thing with two product lines and a recirc (although I very rarely have to use it). Most beer engines nowadays have a cooling jacket around the engine which you connect to the recirc to ensure that the chamber (not sure of the terminology) stays cool. One thing to watch out for though is getting a chiller with a variable thermostat. I had considered rigging mine up with a stc100 reading the temperature of the ice / water bath but eventually found that I could maintain acceptable temperatures just by setting the in built in thermostat at it's lowest.

That said, a temp controlled fridge would proably do the job better. You can buy beer extractors which allow you to store the cask upright which will hopefully mean you can fit the cask in the fridge.

[seymour]

Can you make a kegerator to store it in?

Hopefully someday, but not in the short-term budget. Even then, I don't really want an extra fridge big enough to contain my oak cask(s).

I had hoped to draw the beer directly from the wood, but I don't love drinking warm beer. Perhaps I'll shift to aging in the wood, then rack to corny kegs in a kegerator, connected to a beer engine and CO2 with cask breather. Not quite as authentic and aesthetic, but probably more consistent.

In the UK Cask Marque check for a specific beer temperature before they give pubs a Cask Marque accreditation
Quote from: http://cask-marque.co.uk/info-for-pubs/ ... mperature/

Cask Ales
To experience all the smells and tastes that the brewer wants you to, cask ale must be dispensed at the correct temperature. If the beer is too warm unpleasant and unplanned aromas will be given off, too cold and the clean, fresh, vibrant tastes will be lost.
The recommended dispense temperature of the majority of brewers is between 11 – 13°C. Cask Marque audits to a required range of 10-14°C allowing a little leeway.

Great info, thanks for sharing.

[asd]

Its worthwhile getting hold of the little book called "Cellarmanship" by Patrick O'Neill and published by CAMRA if you want to do proper cask ale proper good.

[GAZ9053]

If i had the room a kegorator would be my way of doing it, or a cool room would be ace.

[rpt]

My polypins and kegs are in my unheated garage. At the moment it's within the cellar temperature range so is ideal. In summer it's a bit warmer but I've been quite happy with warm beer - if you are used to cold beer then it may be just too warm. If the weather's really hot then I'll have a lager or wheat beer from a bottle in the fridge. Next summer I will try to put the keg in a water bucket and cool it with freezer blocks (unless I build a kegerator in the meantime).

There is a growing trend here to have extra cold versions of lager and smoothflow bitters in pubs. They have given their customers an extra choice: either flavourless beer or completely flavourless beer. Even Guinness is ruined by it.

[troutie]

Surely the best temperature to serve your beer at is the temperature YOU like to drink it

[6470zzy]

Surely the best temperature to serve your beer at is the temperature YOU like to drink it

Well said indeed, I heartily agree

[Fil]

fwiw my cellar is the space in the ex-coalshed tacked onto the kitchen not occupied by the washing machine..

behind the red door




Ive done the best i can to insulate the cupboard, but the kegs are at ambient temperature, the beerlines from the 4 kegs run through a shelf chiller which is active for the summer months but just sits inline passive most of the year.

keeping the sun and insulating against its effect during the day mean a useable keg temp probably a few degrees above the 11-13c Optimal temp, but it works fine for me

[andy.cleveland]

I use a wine fridge and I drilled through the top of it for a line to the beer engine. I use the cask Widge system which allows my pin to sit upright. Keeps it around 50 deg.