I recently concluded a poll with the question “Which cask beer temperature do you come across more often?”
There were 23 responses, of whom 18 (78%) said “Too warm” and 5 (22%) said “Too cold”.
For clarification, the poll referred to beer that falls outside what is to you an acceptable temperature range.
We often hear complaints about over-chilled cask beer in Wetherspoon’s pubs, and about Cask Marque setting their temperature standards too low, but I have to say that I come across far more warm ‘uns than cold ‘uns, and obviously the poll shows this is a common experience.
Cask beer should be served at a natural cellar temperature of around 12-13°C (54-55°F) which will make it noticeably cooler than room temperature, but not cold. All too often, pubs fail to achieve this.
It must also be remembered that a pint that’s a bit too cold can always warm up, but one that is too warm will never cool down.