Inn Doctor » Fault Finding

Common problems with Cask beer dispense

admin — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:11:51 +0000

My Cask beer is flat and tastes off?

Your beer might be too cold. Check cellar temperature it should be around 52-53 degrees Fahrenheit 13 degrees centigrade.
How long has your beer been on service, it might be past its best?
Was your cask vented properly?

My Cask beer tastes of vinegar and has off tastes?

Your beer has been on service too long and has gone off. Probably infected

My Cask Ale is very lively?

Have you vented and conditioned the cask properly?
Is your beer serving at the correct temperature? Check cellar temperature.
Have you cleaned your lines? At least once a week minimum.
Check the sparkler has not been over tightened.
Don’t try to pull your beer engine too quickly.
Check a hop filter is fitted and cask tap nut is tight.

My Real Ale is flat but tastes great?

Are you serving it correctly? Swan neck to the bottom of the glass, correct sparkler and a steady even pull.
Your beer might be too cold.

My Beer Engine is stiff?

Is the cask tap open and gas pump if fitted turned on?
Check your hop filter is clean.
Is the hard peg still in the barrel?
The beer engine might be faulty, call Technical Services
The back check valve may be faulty, call Technical Services.

My Keg Cream Flow Bitter is serving flat

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:22:55 +0000

All keg cream flow or extra smooth bitter products have a device fitted on the end of the tap called a diffuser. The diffuser is designed to liberate nitrogen from within the beer. No diffuser no creamy head.

Different cream flows have their own type of diffuser. Tetley Smoothflow, John Smiths Extra Smooth, Boddingtons etc, all have individual diffusers for their Taps.

A diffuser has a holed disc fitted inside, either plastic or metal. As you look into the diffuser you should see it in place.
These holes should be all free from debris.

As well as special diffusers being fitted Cream flow beers have to be dispensed using the correct mixed gas. It is important that the correct gas is used. Because of similar fittings on mixed gas containers it is possible to use the wrong gas. Check with you local technician if you are not sure what gas should be used.

Most cream flow beers use 70/30 mixed gases. If your Cream flow is flat check the following.

Make sure correct brand diffuser is fitted
Check the diffuser disc is in place.
Check all the holes are clear from debris.
Make sure correct gas is in use in accordance with brewery instructions.
If problem persists call for your local Technician

Keg Lager is dispensing slow

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:21:17 +0000

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.

My Keg Lagers and Beers are warm

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:19:42 +0000

If all your keg beers and lagers are serving warm you have a major problem.

If you have a large pub or hotel then you will probably have one or two remote coolers. These will often be located somewhere near your cellar. They are, a large box like machine with lots of pipes coming from the top.

Once you have located the machine make sure it is switched on. This is the only thing you can check. Even if the machine is running it may still be faulty.

Ring your local Tech Services right away

My keg lager is losing its head

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:18:13 +0000

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.

My keg Lager is fobbing.

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:16:01 +0000

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.

My keg beer undercounter cooler is leaking.

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:12:56 +0000

This is a problem you can fix yourself, every couple of weeks or so you should drain water from the cooler this can be done by removing the (usually it is red) cap from the overflow, which can be found under the pipe connections on the front of the cooler.

What has now happened is the water level has reached the point where it is running over the top of the tank.

If you take the cap off however and no water comes out. This means that ice has formed on the other side of the overflow, to remedy this; the cooler should be switched of whilst in use, until water does flow.

Then the cooler can then again be switched back on. Coolers should be drained or topped up regularly otherwise an ice bank will not form properly.

My keg beer is cloudy

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:08:28 +0000

Keg beer is pasteurised so it shouldn’t be cloudy.

Check if your lines need cleaning, put on a new container and draw off two or three pints until you know that the new product is coming through, the beer should now be clear. .

Check again after about an hour. Draw off a pint, if the beer is now hazy, then it is almost certain you have yeast build up in your lines. This is causing the fresh beer to become infected, when left in the lines for any length of time. You may be cleaning the lines every week but are you adhering to the correct instructions.

If after an hour the beer is still clear, then you may have a faulty keg. Notify the brand owner, and they will check it for you.

You can check for yeast build up by getting a torch and shining it through the beer pipes. If a brown stain can be seen then you have yeast build up. You should contact your local Tech Services for advice.

Do I have a Gas Leak on my keg beer system?

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:45:42 +0000

There are 3 types of gas used in beer dispense, they are Air, Mixed Gas and Co2. These gases are used on separate systems and are not connected to each other. These gases are stored within or near the cellar. See Safety pages for more information. If you suspect you have a major gas leak ventilate the cellar and warn staff to keep out of the cellar. Contact your local technician immediately.

If you suspect you may have a small gas leak, try the following .If you have cellar cooling, which is very noisy, switch it off. Make sure there are no keg couplers or gas pumps switched on that are not in use. If you have been cleaning ensure the cleaning Gas pump is switched off and that any, that are connected to the cleaning main have their gases turned off.

Listen for any hissing sounds. Start at the gas cylinders. Make sure the gas bottle connections are tight. If they are tight and you can hear or feel gas escaping, it may be the seals on the connections are worn or lost. If you have been instructed by Tech Services on how to change these washers replace them. If not call out Tech Services.

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Next, make sure that the keg couplers are fitted correctly to the kegs. Once again listen out for hissing. Make sure all gas fittings on couplers are in good condition and tight .If they are and you can still feel or hear gas escaping you may have a faulty keg. If the keg is leaking gas, change to a new one and inform your Tech services.

Finally when changing a gas cylinder, make sure it is full. Quite often you can replace an empty cylinder with another empty one.

To check on gas usage, another good tip is to write in chalk on the gas bottle the day it was put on service. That way you can keep track. Finally, remember do not tamper with any equipment, if you suspect something is damaged or not working, call your local Technical Services.

Do not forget to switch the cellar cooling back on.

There isn’t any keg beer coming out of the tap

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:02:10 +0000

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