Cellar to glass: the cooling conundrum

Over the past few years there has been a steady increase in the number of major brands offering an extra cold alternative to their standard-temperature beers. This move has created challenges for all in the drinks industry. Brewers, retailers, equipment manufacturers and dispense service providers have all needed to respond to the growing demand for extra cold products.

At the beginning of this revolution there were only a few brands with an extra cold option and the average bar only offered customers a single extra cold product. Now most outlets serve numerous brands between 2 degrees C and 4 degrees C.

The overall public demand for extra cold lagers, smooth ales and stouts is clear from the uplift in sales pubs experience when extra cold products are introduced. But this has put pressure on the industry to develop and supply appropriate cooling solutions for outlets.

Initially, under-counter shelf coolers were introduced in addition to the existing remote coolers and python systems to reduce product temperatures to the required specifications.

But as the major brand owners have offered an ever-increasing range of extra cold options, this cooling solution has had to be reconsidered. Shelf coolers have taken up too much precious space under the bar and the sheer number of extra cold products has made it increasingly difficult to maintain consistently low temperatures.

Drinks industry bodies, including the Brand Dispense Association's technical committee, have assessed the impact of additional cooling equipment on existing pub dispense systems and recommended that service providers and equipment manufacturers introduce controls to restrict the number of secondary cooling units. These guidelines should prevent any slippage in brand specifications and product quality.

Equipment manufacturers have also developed a range of add-ons and new cooling solutions to meet brand producers' and retailers' demand for extra cold products. As well as under-counter coolers these have included cooling pods, trim coolers, chiller plates and glycol systems.

Service providers, too, have worked with equipment manufacturers and national retail groups to design systems that meet the challenges presented by the expansion of extra cold products.

Does one cooling option fit all? Probably not. Pubs offer a huge variety of brands and need to tailor their cooling systems accordingly. When deciding which extra cold cooling system is right for you, the following choices should be discussed with your area manager or dispense service provider.

Under-counter cooler​

Advantage - reduces product temperature without impacting on the existing dispense system.

Disadvantage - takes up under-counter shelf space, uses additional electricity and exhausts heat into the bar.

Trim cooler​

Advantage - uses the coolant from the remote cooler python system and increases the performance of the remote cooler.

Disadvantage - a limited number can be installed per remote system and there will be a loss of under-counter shelf space. The unit will require an electricity supply.

Cooling pod​

Advantage - fixes to the under-counter shelf, uses coolant from the remote cooler python system and increases the energy used by the remote cooler. Disadvantage - a limited number can be used

per remote cooler python system and it takes under-counter-top shelf space, where glasses are often stored.

Chiller plate ​

Advantage - uses less space than a shelf cooler and can be positioned on the bottom or top shelf.

Disadvantage - will need a glycol coolant supply and a limited number can be used per glycol cooler.

Glycol remote cooler​

Advantage - operates in the same way as water-cooled remotes but uses glycol to cool products.

Disadvantage - unit cost can be higher than standard remote coolers.

Vic Nicholls is business development director at leading independent dispense service provider City Dispense Services​