Temperature control is essential for the perfect pint.
Along with hygiene and cleanliness, temperature is probably the most vital factor in the quest for a perfect pint of beer. It is well known, of course, that cask ale served too warm brings out unpleasant flavours and can put a customer off the product for life. Temperature has been the key focus of Cask Marque's quality campaign since the organisation's initial survey found that six in 10 cask beers were served at the wrong temperature.
And temperature is important for all beers. A lager that's too warm will fob and waste both beer and barstaff time as well as annoying your customers.
Although super-chilled lagers have lately tackled these quality problems in a direct way and found an enthusiastic market, there is also a case to be made that beers can be served too cold.
Cask beers will not condition properly if the cellar is at too low a temperature - a real consideration as winter approaches. And if you chill down lager to below the specified temperature range you are wasting energy and gaining nothing.
Technology is fast catching up with these problems, however. Futuretec, a company set up only last year, has set itself the task of creating new solutions for busy licensees under the Smart Cellar brand. Temperature control is one focus.
"Dispense temperature is a critical parameter," says Jolyon Tidmarsh, a partner in the Futuretec business. "Brewers put a lot of effort into formulating the brew to be dispensed within a two degree temperature window - get that wrong and the whole product experience is compromised. Beer that is too warm results in lost sales, causes fobbing problems and wastage. Beer that is unnecessarily cold is costing the pub operator since energy is wasted."
Field trials by the company have shown that 27 per cent of beers were over-chilled and 11 per cent were too warm - meaning just over a third of all products were served outside temperature specification.
Futuretec's solution - designed with the help of Oxford Brookes University's professor of brewing science, Katherine Smart - is the ThermoBuoy (pictured). This optimises the cooling system so that the beer is always dispensed within the correct temperature limitations. It is currently being used by a national brewer.
Futuretec has also looked at what can go wrong in the distribution chain between the brewery gates and pub cellar. Its research has revealed "surprising extremes in the temperature of large pack product".
"During the summer months, kegs can reach temperatures in excess of 20ºC during distribution which can take up to 48 hours to return to their required storage temperature," explains Jolyon. "These temperature extremes cause significant deterioration of product quality, especially for cask ales. The results were taken on a well-controlled route - any additional mishandling would have made the situation even worse." The brewer involved in the research is now revising its delivery logistics.
"It is essential that the logistics chain treats the product with care. Kegs are frequently bounced off the pavement from the back of delivery trucks, or left out in the sun over the weekend in a distribution yard," adds Jolyon.
Futuretec is looking at line-cleaning too, and has won a grant from the Department of Trade & Industry to develop an intelligent keg changer. It has designed a device that doesn't rely on fob detectors.
"There's little worse than being told the Stella's just run out and do you mind waiting while we change it?" says Jolyon. "From the publican's perspective this is sales downtime and when it happens at half-time in the next England match it is going to be expensive."
Optimum temperature control
Scrubbing up the image of glass
Glass scrubbers have had a patchy history in the pub and bar trade, frequently coming in for criticism that they are unhygienic - and even illegal. Now one supplier has hit back to quash the rumours.
Egon Eder, a partner in Eder-Wolfmair which imports German-made Delfin glass scrubbers into the UK, believes false information about the machines may have been responsible for a dip in sales.
"Glass scrubbers have been on the market for more than 20 years, they are sold in 25 countries and conform to European Union washing and rinsing guidelines," he says. "The machines I supply are from Germany which has the highest hygiene standards in the world."
The scrubbers use cold water from the mains treated with abactericidal detergent to remove lipstick, food and grease. "It is drinking water. There's no bacteria in it. The only possible danger is if you use tank water instead of mains water," explains Egon.
As each glass is pushed into the brushes it triggers a jet of fresh water which runs away after washing. "I often have to put environmental health officers themselves in the picture," says Egon. "Once I have explained to them how glass scrubbers work they are happy."
Case study: the Strugglers, Lincoln
Getting to grips with the standard of beer in the cellar is regarded as a martial art at award-winning cask ale pub the Strugglers in Lincoln. Quality control is so important to licensee Simon Davey that he employs what he calls a "black belt cellar management system".
The crucial ingredients to make it work are two key members of staff - pub manager Alan Watts and cellar supervisor Dave Walker. "The whole philosophy at the Strugglers is about serving the freshest, purest pint of ale," says Simon. "I have extremely experienced staff who are absolute perfectionists."
Organisation is the key to the Strugglers' success as cellar management involves rigorous testing and well-practised procedures.
Barrels are dipped first thing in the morning and a card system informs all staff how much beer is left in each, which barrel should be used next and which other beers are ready to use.
"The most important thing is to get the basics right," explains Dave. "We have installed a new double-racking system for the barrels to ensure that air can circulate around the cellar, keeping the beer as fresh as possible. Another major factor is temperature control. It is essential to continually monitor the cellar.
"All this is worthless, though, if your lines aren't in tip-top condition, so I clean them religiously every Saturday morning."
Dave or Alan checks the taste and clarity of the beer from each new barrel tapped before serving it to customersThen quality becomes Alan's responsibility. "I ensure all our glasses not only look sparkling clean but have been thoroughly rinsed," he says. "And serving a pint in the correctly branded glass is very important as it gives the drink a higher perceived value."
Not surprisingly the Strugglers is Avebury Taverns' current Cask Excellence Pub of the Year and is famous for its beer. Each October huge crowds of cask beer drinkers are attracted to its annual beer festival - visitors had the chance to sample 45 different varietiesof beer at this year's festival.
Pictured: Simon Davey (left) and pub manager Alan Watts with the double-racking system in the Strugglers' cellar.