By Triana O'Keefe, editor Australian Hotelier
Serving a good beer begins in the cellar. Cleanliness and sterility of beer-lines and other surfaces are essential, as is monitoring the carbon dioxide systems.
Essentially, beer should be treated in the same hygienic manner as other food products such as meat, vegetables and milk.
- Time your orders
Work out an ordering schedule that ensures no kegs are stored longer than a week.
- Rotate your stock
Keep a strict stock rotation schedule – First keg in, first keg out.
- Regulate your temperature
Oxidation is accelerated by high and un-regulated temperatures. Never leave the beer out in the sunshine and if cold storage is limited, keep any extra kegs in the coolest place possible.
- Keep it clean
Like other foods, beer contains sugars and under adverse conditions foreign yeasts and bacteria can rapidly multiply causing cloudy appearances and unpleasant odours. As these organisms can collect in all equipment, including beer-lines, certain cleaning procedures must be observed.
- Keep them still
Agitation during transit and cellaring can cause excess foam once poured. To avoid this, kegs should remain stationary 24 hours after delivery.