What Is the Best Temperature to Set a Beer Fridge

Updated on April 12, 2022

There has been a lot of discussion about what temperature is best for serving beer. Is it 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius)? Is your fridge as cold as it can get? We consider all of the factors and arrive at our recommended beer fridge temperature.

The long answer is that it depends on the type of beer and why you’re drinking it.

How to Store Beer

Most craft brewers work extremely hard to achieve the ideal flavour and fragrance balance in the bottle, which they then send out for consumption within a few months after purchase.

While it is possible to “age” a beer by cellaring it in the same manner that wine is, it isn’t always necessary.

When it comes to keeping beer, we want to make sure it stays fresh for as long as possible.

That’s usually a few months at most, though some styles can survive up to a year if properly stored.

What’s the Best Way to Store Beer?

Keep the bottles at a constant temperature of 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid flavour loss and ensure that your beer tastes just as it should. This is referred to as “cellar temperature,” but you don’t need a cave in your basement to get it. In fact, any well-designed beer fridge will allow you to maintain this temperature.

A excellent beer fridge will also keep the bottles safe from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

One short note: to avoid leaking or yeast accumulation on the vessel’s wall, many people recommend storing beer upright for long periods of time (cellaring).

Aside from those uncommon cases, horizontally storing beer won’t harm your favourite drink.

What Is the Best Temperature to Set a Beer Fridge

Did you notice that we don’t recommend storing or serving beer at room temperature? That’s because, as modern people, we have high standards for comfort, and room temperatures have risen steadily over time.

Your living room is probably kept at a temperature of 72 degrees. That’s positively balmy for Middle Ages brewers!

Unless you live in an igloo, it’s no longer accurate to suggest that a beer is best stored or consumed at room temperature.

You’ll be considerably closer to the target if you keep your beers cold to an old-fashioned beer cellar temperature — usually around 50 degrees year-round.

It’s also important to remember that as your beer rests in the glass, it will progressively warm up.

Pour it on the colder end of your preferred range to allow for a longer sipping session, so you can enjoy it as it progressively warms.

Beer aficionados will notice the variations in flavour as they occur. And if you keep track of your notes, you can alter your storage temperature to keep any beer at the temperature you want.

That’s what we call the perfection point, and it’s well within your grasp if you know what you’re doing.