Temperature speeds up every chemical process (in this case, oxidation, hop aroma degradation, etc). I think Charlie Bamforth says to assume twice the speed for every 10C (~20F). So if you believe your beer's shelf life is 180 days, Charlie's theory would suggest its only 90 or so at room temp.
Logistically, I would think the distributor is much less likely to store beer cold (and recommend cold storage to the retailer) if the brewer doesn't bother with it. The brewer (especially the little guy) may not have too much say in the distributor/retailer's beer treatment methods, but you can set the standard and hope its followed.