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Beer serving temperature: how cold for each style

Beer serving temperatures by style, from 4 °C for pale lagers to 13 °C for stouts and barleywines, and why colder is not always better.

  • Published
  • 2 min read
A cold, misted glass of pale lager and a snifter of dark stout either side of an old glass thermometer

Cold beer refreshes, but cold also hides flavour: the colder the glass, the less you smell and taste. Pale, light lagers can take the chill; strong, dark and complex beers show more a few degrees warmer. A fridge runs at about 4 °C, so most ales want a few minutes on the table before you drink them.

Temperatures by style

These ranges follow the Brewers Association’s recommendation for each style, converted to Celsius.

Serve atStyles
4–7 °CBelgian Tripel, Czech Pilsner, German Pils, International Pale Lager, Kölsch, Weissbier, Witbier
4–10 °CGose, Gueuze, Lambic
7–10 °CAltbier, Belgian Blond Ale, Berliner Weisse, Doppelbock, Kriek and Fruit Lambic, Märzen, Munich Dunkel, Munich Helles
7–13 °CHazy IPA (New England IPA), Saison
10–13 °CAmerican Brown Ale, American IPA, Belgian Dark Strong Ale (Quadrupel), Belgian Dubbel, Best Bitter, Irish Dry Stout, English Barleywine, English Porter, Imperial Stout, Strong Bitter (ESB), Wee Heavy (Scotch Ale)

A rule of thumb

The paler, lighter and fizzier the beer, the colder you can serve it. The stronger, darker and maltier the beer, the warmer. British cask ale goes out at cellar temperature, and a strong beer in a snifter keeps changing as it warms in your hand.

Sources

Checked .

  1. Beer Styles (glassware, serving temperature and food pairings for each style) — CraftBeer.com, Brewers Association
  2. 2021 Beer Style Guidelines — Beer Judge Certification Program
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