packaging
Pasteurisation
Heat beer enough to kill yeast and spoilage organisms, greatly extending microbiological stability across a long supply chain.
What is actually happening
Tunnel pasteurisation heats sealed packages, typically to around 60 °C for a measured number of pasteurisation units. Flash pasteurisation heats beer briefly in line before filling, which is gentler on flavour.
The cost is a small but detectable flattening, and the loss of any possibility of package conditioning. Cask beer is never pasteurised, because the live secondary fermentation is the whole point of it.
Typical conditions
| Temperature | 60–72°C |
|---|---|
| Scale | A commercial-scale operation |
Ranges, not targets. These describe what is usual across the styles and breweries that use this step, and a value outside the range is a decision rather than an error.
Related steps and concepts
- Filtration — The non-thermal stabilising alternative.
- Cask conditioning — The tradition pasteurisation is incompatible with.
Also at the packaging stage
See the whole process in order on how beer is made.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.