Inn Doctor » Dispense

World Cup Check List

boz — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:25:46 +0000

With the World Cup about to kick off there is great potential to make some good profit for our pub businesses. Despite Tesco and Asda bashing out canned beer at below – cost prices there still might be money to be made by us lesser souls who run pubs for a living.

Ensuring your beer dispense system is in tip top condition is therefor a must. We have prepared a small list of To Do checks that might help you keep your beer flowing and your pub making money.

Check condition of all keg couplers. Make sure rubber washers are in good condition and not damaged or split. If they are damaged replace them, if you have been shown, otherwise give Tech Services a call.
Check condition of beer gas connections. Mixed gas connectors have rubber washers, CO2 have a metal or fibre washer. Once again replace any damaged items, if you have been shown, otherwise give Tech Services a call.
Check condition of the beer lines. Yeast in beer lines will cause fobbing and poor flavour. You can do a simple check by shinning a torch through the beer line. If you see any dark brownish patches then you may have a yeast infection and a thorough beer line clean might be required. Remember fobbing frothy beer costs you money.
Check the remote cooler for operation. Using the inspection hatch or hole, look inside the remote cooler. There should be a visible ice formation inside. If you have extra cold products such as Carling, Stella or Fosters then a good indication of remote cooler performance is the constant condensation of these taps. Should at any time these extra cold fonts stop condensating then you may have a problem and Tech services need a call.
Check cellar cooling. Cellar temperature should be between 52 and 54 Fahrenheit.

This is only a brief guide, but you get the idea. Check your cellar and the dispense equipment regularly and report any faults right away. Doing this will ensure you are selling great draught beer and will make sure your World Cup supporters keep coming back for more. After all draught beer beats canned any day.

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 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.

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