Dirty beer lines could break the law

Publicans could be contravening food safety laws by not cleaning their beer lines properly.

The warning came at a Beer Forum organised by The Publican in which industry opinion-formers debated the issues facing the pub beer market and discussed the results of The Publican's 2006 Beer Report survey - including the fact that 11 per cent of licensees admit to not cleaning their lines weekly, as recommended by brewers.

Recent estimates have been much higher, with the suggestion from some quarters that up to eight in 10 pubs are not cleaning their lines at least once a week. Forum attendees were shocked, if less than surprised, that so many admit their poor practice, and that as many as 23 per cent say they have not had any cellar management training.

Julie Charge, commercial director of technical services company InnServe, pointed out that since beer is a food dirty lines are a health and safety issue, "and you see some horribly dirty lines out there".

"Maybe it's a trading standards or an environmental health issue because customers are being short-changed," added Nigel McNally, managing director of brewer Wells and Young's.

There was general agreement, though, that the problem should be approached from commercial arguments rather than regulatory ones. As well as affecting beer clarity and head, dirty lines cause fobbing and wastage.

"In the short term the impact is on the pub business," said Andy Wood, managing director of Adnams. "In the long term, the impact is on the whole category.

"We have to work with licensees to make the commercial case. We have to sit down and talk to people at a grassroots level."

The forum also discussed the improving relationship between brewers and pub retailers and the possibility of the rebirth of cask beer among other issues.

A full report from the Forum, plus full results from the survey, will be in Beer Report 2006, included in The Publican next week (November 27).