Beer experts: keep cask ale cool over summer

Real ale experts have urged hosts to look after their cask beer over the hot summer months in order to hold on to big-spending cask customers.

Paul Nunny, director of beer quality auditors Cask Marque, said licensees "must seek to keep the cask ale drinker as he spends more than other customers".

Cask ale is traditionally not thought of as a big seller over the summer, but hosts who check the cellar temperature, make sure cooling vents are free of dust, top up coolers — including ale pythons — and regularly ensure beer in the glass is served at the right temperature, can help safeguard their cask sales.

The ideal temperature for cask ale is between 11°C and 13°C — although certain cask beers can be served colder than this.

Pete Brown, author of The Cask Report, added: "There's no doubt that many of the cask drinkers who migrate to lager in hot weather would make a different choice if they had more confidence in the quality of the cask ales on the bar.

"Licensees who control the temperature of the cask in the glass should be able to maintain their ale business over the summer."

"If you can serve a consistently good pint of cask during the hotter months, you'll earn credibility from a discerning, high-earning group of customers who will continue to drink with you year round."