Storing and Serving Real Ale
Delivery and Storage
- Ensure ‘best before’ date has at least 14 days shelf life before signing for delivery
- Store immediately in a cooled area - 12ºC-14ºC (53ºF-57ºF)
- Rotate stock to ensure you use the oldest first
- Seal all empty casks before returning to prevent infection of other beers
Serving
- Temperature - use a thermometer to measure temperature of the beer in the glass. It should read between 12ºC-14ºC(53ºF-57ºF)
- Appearance - the beer should be bright and should create a lacing on the side of the glass when drunk. This means the beer has ‘condition’
- Aroma - is it appetising?
- Taste - most important of all, it should taste clean and fresh and not dull and tainted
