Inn Doctor » Equipment

Welcome beer geeks

boz — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:09:25 +0000

Us fellow geeks at Inn Doctor have become aware that we are having increased numbers of readers from around the world. Given that beer is the universal drink around the globe we are not surprised that people are surfing the net looking for information about their favourite tipple.

There are probably a lot more different ways of dispensing beer being used all around the world than we at Inn Doctor are aware of. It might be very interesting for us to have some contributors from around the globe telling us how they serve the best beer in the world. So if you are an Antipodean ale buff, an American bar owner or one of our European Bierkeller Braumeisters let us know how you do things in your back yard. We would like to know. Have you thought you must be a beer geek otherwise you wouldn’t be on your computer, you would be down the pub! Now what does a bloke in Alaska drink ?

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Frozen kegs and remote cooling problems

boz — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:22:21 +0000

The extremely cold weather is likely to be with us for some time to come. So there are a couple of important items for you, the landlord to be aware of, that might affect your safety and your profits.

1.Keep a close eye on your remote cooler during the freeze. In particular if you experience a rise in temperature on the remote unit, and your beer is dispensing warmer than usual, then the chances are the heat dump unit which in most cases is fitted to an outside wall may be frozen. This usually shouldn’t happen as these units are fed with a water/ glycol mixture which is designed not to freeze. However quite often this mixture has been over diluted during the summer period and may therefore freeze, either in the pipe work which feeds the unit or the heat dump itself.

If you suspect you may be experiencing this problem you must ring your technical services as there is nothing you can do. If however your system is working correctly, what you can do is to put a non urgent call in to tech services and ask that your remote be checked for the correct glycol levels. Some brewers have trained landlords on how to top up with glycol and have left supplies on site. DO NOT USE CAR ANTI FREEZE IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

2.If you have a keg delivery, check to see there are no signs of damage such as splits or bulges. Depending where the kegs have been stored they may be frozen inside, although most brewers store full kegs in warehouses these days. This situation can be very dangerous as it causes a massive increase in pressure within the keg. If you suspect you have a frozen keg do not go near it, do not attempt to connect it for service, and call tech services right away. Also during this cold snap do not store full beer kegs outside for the same reason.

Lets be careful people….

Flat Carling? Which are the right glasses

P J — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:02:32 +0000

Why is my Carling Flat? Are there different Carling glasses? We often get asked these questions. As we don’t work for them it is a difficult one for us to answer. Thankfully A.O. does and he wrote an answer to a question in the forum explaining how it is.

There are now 3 types of Carling glasses in circulation.

1. Carling ‘normal’ glasses with the white widget in the bottom of the glass.

2. Carling ‘Extra Cold’ glasses with a larger white widget in the bottom of the glass and the words ‘EXTRA COLD’ molded into the sides of the glass.

3. The brand new laser etched glasses (no white widget-looks like the bottom of the glass has been attacked with a big nail; These are universal – for use with Carling ‘normal’ & Carling ‘Extra Cold’

The white widget glasses are to be discontinued and only the laser etched glass will be issued.

This is a pity because the the white widget is an excellent indicator of glass condition, i.e if the widget looks yellow when the glass is placed on a sheet of white paper, it requires ‘renovating’ with renovate powder.

Internal company rumour has it that the ‘white widget’ glasses were the first widget glasses in the world that were designed with a scientific level of ‘widgeting’ – Molson Coors Brewers actually researched and developed a full specification for a producing a consistent level of widgeting!

In fact some batches of white widget ‘Extra Cold’ widget glasses were so powerfull that the head on the Carling would actually grow after being poured – sort of like an icecream cone.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Andy_O

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Beer Container sizes

P J — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:26:45 +0000

It’s not very often you call at a pub and they have all the different sizes side by side. Thought I would take a picture. There are a couple of sizes smaller that are missing 20ltr and 30ltr and of course the hogs head (54 gal) for example.

But how small or how big do you want to go, a 36 is big enough to throw around, if you can that is, it probably wont be around for much longer. It has been a health and safety issue for a long time.

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Glasswasher – keep it clean

boz — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:48:54 +0000

Next to keeping your beer lines in good clean condition, glass-washer cleanliness is the next most important.

One of the most neglected pieces of kit in any pub or bar is usually the most important one , your glass-washer. To serve beers in top condition it is essential to have an efficient clean machine that is both regularly maintained and sanitised.

What is the point of all the effort of brewers producing and delivering beer and you also having to pay your hard earned profit to buy it, only for it to be served in a grotty glass. It just doesn’t look poor ,with no head or lacing but it is affecting your profit margins.

People are said to drink with their eyes, so bearing this in mind would you be likely to have another pint if the first was like a cup of of cold tea….I think not.

So here is a plea on behalf of your neglected old friend the glasswasher.

Firstly it will not last for ever, if it is old knackered and past it,then get rid of it, a new one will soon pay for itself.

Secondly treat your glass-washer with the respect it deserves, have it regularly serviced, and the dosing rates of detergent and rinse aid checked. Too much of either can affect your glasses dramatically.

Thirdly, clean it out regularly.

Cleaning a glass-washer is simple and does not take very long. Check your owners manual for the correct instructions. If you do not have an operators manual then just use your common sense. Use an old toothbrush and clean out all the acrued dirt. Give it a good hot rinse and then put it through a couple of cycles using a suitable sanitiser.

Lastly do not forget a glass-washer is for glasses only and not for coffee cups, dishes,

or glasses that have been used to serve creamy liqueurs such as Baileys, wash these in a separate sink.

Treat your glass-washer like a friend it will save you money.

Who owns the equipment in my pub?

P J — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:50:59 +0000

There can be a lot of different scenarios and reasons for wanting to find out. For example who services your remote cooler when it breaks down? With a lot of Pubs changing hands at the moment, one of your priorities when you first take over the outlet should be to find the Principal supplier. So when your remote cooler does break down (they always seem to break down on the weekend) you know who to call out.

To find your principal service provider the rule of thumb has always been, each brand has been responsible for their own specific equipment, and the Brewer who has the most taps on the bar, is also responsible for the Python, Remote Cooler, Cleaning system and Gas system. So give them a ring just to check, nothing is written in stone these days, don’t leave it till the last minute.

So be aware if you change your Lagers or Bitters the ownership of your main equipment may change so check this out at the time and register this fact with your new supplier, otherwise your stress levels could go through the roof.

[POLLIN 10]

Sticky and Snagging beer taps

P J — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:56:09 +0000

Just thought it might be a good idea to start off a tips and tricks post. Add comments at the bottom to add your own. Or email us it or use the forum. Do not keep it to yourself share it.

I think the simple ones are the best.

Do you have a sticky tap? You know the type when you pull the handle down it growls, grinds and squeals at you and it won’t be long before it snaps off or breaks altogether. We haven’t shown a branded tap, but this type are all basically the same. You should use a toothbrush with hot soapy water to get rid of the sugar.

However it seems most people do not have time for this. A quick solution I have found is to put two or three drops of lime cordial on the tap handle joint at the foot of the tap handle, where it rubs against the metal plate. This works instantly you will be amazed how it works so quick, just makes you wonder what lime cordial does to your stomach.

[POLLIN 9]

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Mystery Object

boz — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:04:35 +0000

Just a bit of fun. Can you guess the mysterious object below.

Something you may find in a pub.

Please submit your answers using the comments box below.

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Extra Cold Beer Pods

P J — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:33:15 +0000

Something you will be able to tell your Grand Children…….

“I remember the Pods”.

No I don’t mean the escape pods from Star Trek or the ipod. I refer to the object that sends shudders down the backs of Landlords and sends bar staff scurrying for mops and buckets.

Away from the prying eyes of customers but in full view of everyone else we have the pods which seem to get bigger and take up more space every time you look at them, they would be more at home on the set of the Scorpion King.

I don’t mean those untidy things that used to fit so neatly into the bottom shelf, screaming at you to fill with water or change a fan motor or recirc pump.

How it is now

No I refer to this cutting edge stuff, these wonderful objects are so neat and compact they can be fitted in any position and tucked well out of the way, if only.

The problem with this type of pod as the picture shows an engineer can install one of these albeit very neatly, but then along comes another to install one or two around the initial installation; time is not allocated to move or reinstall the first one to a better position to make room, so the space under the bar then begins to look like a pigs breakfast.

The second generation or later pods are now hopefully well lagged, gone are the days when you expected to see Kevin Costner climb out with gills, webbed hands and feet, then it was condensation fonts above the bar, and “Water World” below.

The principal behind the pod was sound however the design has shown it to be flawed in practice, it has turned simple bar installs into a mess, the blame doesn’t really lie with anyone in particular, the sooner different sizes of the extra cold remote are introduced in some measure the better. Bars can then return to just fonts and pythons behind the bar. So the basic principal of no coolers at all behind the bar can be maintained. but this would mean more pythons to run from the cellar, but then that’s a story for another day.

Cask beer…I wish I had the space (Vertical Stillage)

Carlsberg say goodbye to “Vortex” tap

D M — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:26:03 +0000

Carlsberg Vortex Tap

Our intrepid reporter has noticed the replacement of the much vaunted “Vortex” tap on Carlsberg dispensers throughout the UK. Introduced sometime ago as part of the “who can serve the fastest pint arms race” the Vortex tap was a high tech response by Carlsberg to the Fosters hit tap.

Apparently capable of serving a pint in under 14 seconds, the Vortex was a good piece of kit, but not without one or two problems. The replacement seems to be a standard Alumasc type tap,with Export and Carlsberg handles fitted.

Here is a tip for those who have had replacement taps fitted and are perhaps experiencing either too fast or too lively dispense problems.Next time your friendly Technician calls make him a cup of tea and get him to check the flow controls on the Carlsberg taps have been readjusted to suit the new taps.

Carling Dispenser