Inn Doctor

There used to be a tradition amongst brewers of brewing cask Winter Ales especially for the Christmas market. One springs to mind that I remember was brewed by Walkers Brewery. It was called Winter Warmer. I recollect that it was great stuff, almost red in colour, very toffee flavoured and not for the faint hearted with an ABV of 6.0.%.

Having looked around some of the micro brewers internet sites it seems this tradition is still going strong. We at Inndoctor thought it would be a good idea to flag up these brews and what pubs are selling them. So if you are selling one of these festive brews or know a pub that is, let us know on the comments section below.

Will the fast dispense beer tap take off in this country probably, perhaps not just yet. These taps originate from America with a 99 dollar per tap lease. In this economic climate they will obviously be for use in high volume accounts.

The agent in this country is fasttaps.co.uk the widget themselves fit onto the American style taps, not sure if they can be adapted to fit any of the UK taps. They dispense from the bottom of the glass, via a long spout similar to the first Tetley smoothpour years ago.

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• When beer stops coming through the tap, this means the keg is empty.
• In the cellar disconnect empty keg and connect a full keg.
• Bleed the fob detector through the small valve that is at the top.
• Make sure the fob glass is full to the top. Close valve after use.
• Then and only then press the release button upwards.
• And check that the ball rises to the top of the fob glass.
• When fob detector glass is full and the ball is at the top, pull the release button back down into the down position.
• Do not leave ball release button in the up position.

Note:

• Some fob detectors have a button on the side. Use as above only push in and pull out, instead of press up and pull down.
• Others types may have a rotary switch. Follow the same procedure, but using the switch in the correct operating sequence as above.

If your keg lager is dispensing slowly check the following.

• In the cellar check the keg is not empty.
• Ensure the gas supply to the keg is connected to full cylinders and is turned on.
• Check the gas supply to the keg coupler is turned on at the secondary valve. This is usually mounted on the cellar board above the keg.
• If an electric pump is fitted to the lager make sure it is switched on and that the pump is primed. The pump is usually primed through a small bleed cock mounted on the side of the pump. There may be a red or green priming button fitted to the pump, which should be pressed after priming.
• If a non-electric, gas type pump is fitted make sure the gas supply to it is turned on.
• Finally at the bar make sure that if adjustable taps are fitted, usually on Stella dispensers, that the tap is not fully adjusted shut.

If you still have slow lager you should contact your local Technician.

Drink it quick……Well, as long as you don’t lose yours [head that is] you may be able to solve this problem yourself, quite easily.

The main reason for poor head retention, as we in the Trade call it, is usually dirty glasses. Now I know what you are saying,” I Bloody well clean my glasses properly”.

The thing is, there is cleaning your glasses and “cleaning your glasses”. Before we talk about glass cleaning in detail, lets talk about why it is so important to do it properly. Ask yourself how many times does a single glass get used every day. Well if you are doing a good trade the answer may be very many.

Glasses retain grease from people’s mouths, from lipstick and even from some drinks, which are served in them. Always remember this, Grease and Beer do not go well together. So it is important to ensure there is absolutely no grease or other contaminates in your glasses.

The other obvious reason we must clean glasses thoroughly is to prevent germs being passed on to other people.

So here we go:

• Make sure your glass washer is cleaned regularly every day.
• Have your glass washer serviced at regular intervals. See makers guide lines.
• Make sure the correct cleaning and rinse aid products are being used, and are always full.
• Do not use the glass washer for anything else other than glasses. Sorry! No coffee cups, ashtrays. Dinner plates.
• Replace damaged or scratched glasses. They are not that expensive.
• Never polish glasses. Jack Duckworth might do it, but you shouldn’t do it in the real world.
• Always stack your glasses on proper stacking mats.

If the head on your beer is still poor, contact your local Tech Services.

If lager is to be dispensed correctly and without waste it should be served chilled at temperatures between 4 and 6 degrees centigrade. Coolers are used to reduce the temperature of the lager. These are either flash coolers or remote coolers.

You will see flash coolers generally below the lager dispenser. Make sure they are switched on, and that the grill is free from blockage.

Remote coolers are also used, but as well as cooling your lager products, they also cool other products on the bar. These coolers are usually located near the cellar. Make sure they are switched on. Make sure your electric pump is switched on and primed or if you have GasPump make sure that it hasn’t been inadvertently turned off.

Other causes of fobbing lager may be due to poor line cleaning procedures or the lager dispensing too quickly, the dispense speed for lager should be between 13 and 18 seconds per pint depending on the product. Stella is one of the few to have an adjustable tap; otherwise you will have to call your local Tech Services to service it.

In the cellar, check the plastic see through fob detector , directly above the keg on the wall, is full of beer. If it is empty of beer, then the keg in use is empty. Change on to a new keg.

Make sure that the gas to the keg is switched on, usually there is a gas valve.

Check full gas bottles are connected to the gas system and that they are turned on.

If there is a gas pump fitted, these are usually small black box type units on the wall, make sure the gas supply to them is switched on.

If there are electric pumps on the system make sure they are switched on and the prime button has been pressed.

Check the tap, make sure the sparklers or diffusers are clean and free from contamination.

If beer is still not serving contact your local Tech Services