What is the ideal temperature for beer?

We’re often asked: what’s the ideal temperature for beer? In any case, we set it to Uiltje we list the recommended drinking temperature for every beer (“The greatest flavor explosion at: X degrees Celsius”), but we can give you even more tips. For example, there’s also an “ideal” storage temperature and a perfect serving temperature!

Storing beer

To put it simply: beer is best stored in a dark, dry, and cool place. The main reason to keep beer chilled is simply that many processes that cause the flavor to deteriorate slow down as the temperature drops. That means you’re investing in the quality of your ultimate taste experience: it costs just a few cents but delivers hours of enjoyment!

You don’t need to buy an extra refrigerator, though it would be convenient. It’s enough to store your bottles and cans in the pantry, storage cupboard, or basement. In fact, a stable temperature is even more important than one that fluctuates wildly. In any case, don’t put your beer in the sun or on the balcony: UV light will quickly make your beer smell and taste stale!

Serving temperature

The drinking temperature is not the same as the serving temperature—once a glass has been poured, it warms up. So you should always serve it colder than you drink it: that way, you’ll end up with the ideal drinking temperature. Keep in mind that in a room where the temperature is 18 degrees, the temperature of your glass will rise by one degree every ten minutes. The glass itself is also already warmer than the beer when you pour it, so it warms up as well. As a general rule for serving temperature, we always recommend serving it too cold rather than too warm: you can’t cool it down once it’s been served, but you can force it to warm up by holding the glass in your hands.

Serving temperature

And then there’s the phenomenon of “serving temperature.” Almost every bottle indicates the temperature at which the brewer recommends enjoying their beer—and that advice isn’t just made up. Of course, you decide your own favorite drinking temperature. But just as we tend to eat food that’s too sweet or too salty, we also tend to drink beer too cold. The colder something is, the less opportunity aromas have to reveal themselves, and the less you actually “taste.” Some beers are meant to be served a certain way: a robust lager should be ice-cold. But aWeizen,Stout, orIndia Pale Ale tastes best around six or seven degrees Celsius. ForTripels andBaley Wines, that can even go up to ten degrees Celsius. As a rule of thumb, you can simply take the alcohol percentage “plus two” for the drinking temperature in degrees Celsius. Enjoy!