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What is the ideal beer cellar temperature?

Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial

What temperature should a beer cellar be?

For cask beer, Cask Marque works to 11 to 13 degrees Celsius with a 1 degree tolerance either side. It says this is the temperature that 99% of brewers ask for their beer to be dispensed at. Its assessors check it with a professionally calibrated thermometer, and it notes that a pint normally warms by 2 or 3 degrees while it is drunk, so the starting point has to be right.

Keg and lager have their own dispense temperatures, set by the brewer, and they are not covered here. Ask the brewery for its specification.

Drinkers notice the upper edge. Cask Marque's 2019 survey found 97% of drinkers happy with the industry standard of 11 to 13°C, but when the temperature exceeded 14°C satisfaction dropped to 52%. It also reported that the previous summer 1 in 3 pints of cask were served above 14°C, and that in January the figure was still 1 in 5. Winter needs attention too.

Why does a steady temperature matter as much as the number?

Cask Marque says warm cask ale is not appetising and loses its natural conditioning, while beer that is too cold loses subtle flavour. It also says casks acclimatise over a few days to the temperature of the cellar, which means a cellar that drifts can affect stock for days rather than hours.

Its visit records point the same way. Cask Marque says 90% of the pubs that fail its assessment do so on temperature, often despite having ale python equipment installed, and that warm beer causes more than 80% of failed visits.

Where does cask beer pick up heat between the cellar and the glass?

Cask Marque describes a chain with several weak points. The cask sits in the cellar. The beer then runs through a line to the bar, which in some pubs is easily more than 30 metres and can pass behind freezers or over kitchens. Finally it sits in the beer engine, which holds a quarter, a third or half a pint, before reaching the glass.

The usual fix for the line is an ale python controller, which Cask Marque describes as a wall-mounted device with its own water reservoir that circulates water around the outside of the beer lines. It says the commonest faults are low water and poor circulation, that the water level should be checked weekly, and that beer engines are often jacketed but not connected to the controller, so beer sits in the engine and warms at busy times.

The cellar cooler is a different job: it controls the room. Cask Marque says it works harder as ambient temperature rises, and that open cellar doors or heat-producing white goods such as freezers kept in the cellar can push the cooler to breaking point.

What does a cellar cooler's rating tell you?

Less than it seems. The government's Energy Technology List records cellar coolers at a standard test point, a cooling capacity at 32°C ambient with a 10°C cellar, and gives the coefficient of performance (COP) measured to BSI PAS 57:2003. Two entries show the format, named only as examples of what the list records:

Model on the listCapacity at 32°C ambient, 10°C cellarCOPCapacity divided by COP
Hubbard Premium CC MK2, Premium 150-1-24.46 kW3.35about 1.3 kW
Hubbard LITEAIR 100, LC100/LE100E3.29 kW3.45about 0.95 kW

The last column is arithmetic, not a measured figure: the electrical input those ratings imply at the test point. The test point is not your cellar. It assumes a 10°C room rather than 11 to 13°C, and the entry says nothing about warm deliveries, python load or door openings. Use a rating to compare units, not to size one. Hubbard says its Premium range is engineered for cellars from 10 to 200 cubic metres.

Controls matter too. Hubbard's controls guide says the positioning, calibration and condition of temperature sensors are important when assessing refrigeration performance. The cellar cooling page covers sizing for deliveries and where the heat is rejected. Hubbard also lists an air transfer unit that moves cool outside air into the cellar and a heat recovery unit that reuses compressor waste heat for hot water.

What should be checked first when the cellar runs warm?

  1. Read a calibrated thermometer rather than trusting the cooler's display, as Cask Marque's assessors do.
  2. Check that the cellar door is closed and its seals are intact. Cask Marque lists seals on cellar doors in its cellar management tips.
  3. Look for heat sources in the cellar, such as freezers.
  4. Check that the cooler is running and its grilles are clear of dust, another of Cask Marque's tips.
  5. Check the ale python water level, circulation and whether the beer engines are connected.

If the cellar still reads above the band after those checks, the fault is in the refrigeration plant and needs an F-gas certified engineer. The guide to cooling that is not working lists the general causes, and the restaurant and pub page shows how a cellar fits with the kitchen and front-of-house plant.

What do the F-gas rules mean for a cellar cooler?

GOV.UK says a company, including a sole trader, must be certified by an approved body to service stationary refrigeration equipment containing F gas that others operate, and that individuals need their own qualifications. The F-gas certificate guide explains how to check them.

Leak-check frequency depends on how much F gas the equipment holds, expressed as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. GOV.UK's table puts equipment at 5 to less than 50 tonnes on a check at least every 12 months, and lists 1.3 kg of HFC 404A and 2.4 kg of HFC 410A as the 5 tonne point. Hermetically sealed systems under 10 tonnes have no maximum period between checks. If a leak is found it must be repaired as soon as possible and the test repeated within a month. The operator is responsible, and GOV.UK says a company renting out equipment may be responsible instead, depending on the rental agreement. The refrigerant leaks guide goes further.

Does cooling the cellar deal with the carbon dioxide risk?

No, they are separate duties. HSE says carbon dioxide is heavier than air and that fatalities from asphyxiation have occurred when it entered confined spaces such as tanks, sumps or cellars and displaced oxygen. It is colourless and odourless, so people cannot see or smell it at elevated concentrations. HSE gives workplace exposure limits of 5,000 ppm over 8 hours and 15,000 ppm over 15 minutes, and classes carbon dioxide as a substance hazardous to health under COSHH. The gas supply needs its own risk assessment whatever the cooler does.

Sources

Common questions

Can a cask cellar be too cold?

Yes. Cask Marque says beer that is too cold loses subtle flavour, and that some of the smells can be lost. Its assessors allow only 1 degree either side of the 11 to 13 degree band.

Is an ale python the same thing as a cellar cooler?

No. Cask Marque describes cellar coolers as the equipment that controls cellar temperature, and the ale python controller as a wall-mounted unit that circulates water around the beer lines. Warm beer can come from either, so both need checking.

Does the cellar need the same temperature in winter?

The specification is not seasonal. Cask Marque reported 1 in 3 pints above 14°C in one summer and still 1 in 5 in January, so both seasons need attention. The cooler works harder as ambient temperature rises, which is why summer is the usual pinch point.

Who is responsible for leak checks on a rented cellar cooler?

GOV.UK says that if you rent out equipment you may be responsible for leak checks rather than the end user, depending on the rental agreement. Read the agreement and keep the leak-check records somewhere the operator can find them.

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