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Chilling out: finding the best temperature for your beer tap

14 May, 2023

As is well known, beer on tap only tastes really good when it is cold. The temperature significantly influences the taste of beer. That is why it is essential to pay attention to the beer temperature and to ensure that the cooling of the dispensing system is properly adjusted when tapping beer.

The most important things to know about beer temperature at a glance

  • The height of the beer temperature depends on the type of beer you want to tap.
  • Beer with little alcohol is generally enjoyed at lower temperatures than beer with a higher alcohol content.beer dispenser
  • Depending on the type of beer, the perfect beer temperature usually ranges between 3°C and 13°C.
  • With dispensing systems with flow cooling, the beer is cooled directly in the dispensing system during dispensing.
  • Beer refrigerators with taps ensure the perfect beer temperature by cooling the entire barrel.
  • If beer is stored at too high temperatures, it can have a negative impact on its taste.
  • With a beer dispenser from our online shop, you reliably ensure the perfect beer temperature.

What is the right beer temperature?

The right beer temperature depends primarily on the respective type of beer. However, in general, you can assume that the temperature should be lower the less alcohol the beer contains.

Depending on the type, the optimal drinking temperature of beer can be approximately between 3°C and 13°C. By following the recommendation of the corresponding brewery, you ensure that the aroma of the beer can develop optimally and the best possible taste experience is guaranteed.

Beer TypeRecommended Beer Temperature
Ale7 °C – 12 °C
Non-alcoholic Beer4 °C – 6 °C
Altbeer7 °C – 9 °C
Bock Beer9 °C
Dark Beer8 °C – 9 °C
Export Beer7 °C
Keller Beer7 °C
Kölsch7 °C
Lager3 °C – 7 °C
Light Beer5 °C – 6 °C
Pilsner6 °C – 8 °C
Porter8 °C – 13 °C
Black Beer7 °C – 8 °C
Wheat Beer7 °C – 9 °C

What role does beer temperature play in storage?

The temperature at which beer is stored can potentially affect its appearance, taste, and shelf life. The extent to which incorrect storage temperature affects the beer depends primarily on whether it is too low or too high.

Too low temperature when storing beer

Storing beer at very low temperatures causes it to become cloudy. However, in practice, this is usually not a major problem because as the beer temperature rises again, the beer clears up. The taste usually does not suffer. However, it should be noted that too low a beer temperature during tapping can promote excessive foaming.

Too high temperature when storing beer

While too low a temperature has no significant consequences, too high a temperature can damage the taste of the beer. This is primarily due to the hops contained in the beer. Aside from that, warm beer foams heavily when tapped and quickly becomes stale due to the associated loss of carbon dioxide.

How to ensure the right beer temperature when tapping?

In tap systems, it is usually flow-through coolers. This means that the devices are equipped with integrated cooling. The beer is therefore cooled while it flows through the tap system. This ensures that it can be served at the desired temperature.

Flow-through coolers are available as wet cooling devices and dry cooling devices:

  • Tap systems with wet coolant have a water-filled tank that is cooled down to the appropriate temperature.
  • Tap systems with dry coolant are equipped with a heat exchanger that cools the beer.

Regardless, the temperature of the tap system can be easily adjusted within a certain range. Since the beer in the glass quickly warms up slightly after tapping, it makes sense to set the temperature slightly lower than the desired drinking temperature.

If you do not want to use a flow-through cooler for tapping, you can alternatively use a kegerator with an integrated tap. Such a device cools the entire beer keg and thus ensures the perfect beer temperature and optimal enjoyment.

Our conclusion on the topic of beer temperature

As you can see, it is very important to pay attention to the right beer temperature when tapping. What this means in individual cases depends on the type of beer you want to serve.

Regardless, it makes sense to pre-cool the beer keg before connecting it to the tap system. This makes it easier for the recirculation cooling to cool the beer to the desired temperature when tapping.

Buy Tap Systems Online

If you're looking for a tap system for your restaurant or your private party room, you'll find it in our shop. We offer a large selection of tap systems with wet and dry cooling.

In addition to tap systems for every need, we also offer many other products for dispensing. These include, among other things, beer glasses, beer kegerators, cleaning products, and much more.

Order the tap system with recirculation cooling or other products for tapping beer that meet your requirements conveniently online and enjoy cold beer with a perfect head anytime in the future.