Tips about beer

We are regularly asked how to pour a perfect draught beer. On the website www.missethoreca.nl you can find tips for pouring the perfect draught beer. From pouring to levelling off the foam to cooling and cleaning, we gladly share these tips with you.

Keep beer and food separate

Do not store food in the cold store with cask-conditioned beer. The purpose of the cooling unit is to keep the beer chilled and not to cool other products. Storing food in the cooling unit can also lead to the growth of bacteria or fungi that can end up on the system. Furthermore, the smells of the stored food or waste can affect the taste of the beer and are also bad for hygiene.

Replace rinsing brushes once a month

The rinsing brushes used to clean the glasses are a source of contamination. A lot of dirt from the glasses remains on the bristles, so it is important to clean the beer brushes daily. It is also important to regularly replace the brushes. It is recommended to place a new set of rinsing brushes in the sink once a month.

Sufficient space to work

Ensure that there is ample working space in the immediate vicinity of the beer taps. Keep this part of the bar free of superfluous items, as this can hinder the pouring of a good glass of beer and also increases the risk of dirt. Keep everything around the tap area as clean as possible.

Keep tap nozzles in a clean glass

Always place the tap nozzle in the appropriate glass and ensure that the water is clean and fresh. If you leave the tap nozzle lying around it might get dirty, and this will affect the next beer that you pour.

Level off the foam from the beer immediate

If the foam continues to rise after pouring, immediately level off the foam. Use a sharp beer foam scraper kept in a glass of fresh water to level off the rising foam. This removes the big air bubbles and creates a thin film of water on the beer head. This ensures that the foam is more solid and stays on top of the beer for longer.

Too much foam?

Too much foam on top of the beer can be caused by various factors. The carbon dioxide pressure might be too high, the beer might be too warm, or there could be a kink in the beer line. In the case of too little foam, the carbon dioxide pressure might be too low, the beer could be too cold, the glasses might not be clean enough, or too much dish-washing liquid might have been used. Water hardness affects the dose of dish-washing liquid dispensed.

Fill her up? Rather not...

If possible, don’t pour off some of the foam to add more beer to the glass. A draught beer that has been poured in one go has the best possible taste and the correct foam density after levelling. If it is necessary to fill up the glass, quickly open the tap and allow the beer to pour into the glass. The nozzle must never come into contact with the glass, the beer, or the foam.

Roll kegs as little as possible

Carbon dioxide is important, as it gives beer its refreshing taste. Kegs should be rolled as little as possible, as the rolling motion causes the beer to release the carbon dioxide. Allow the beer to rest for 24 hours after transport before connecting the keg. Once a keg is empty, the new keg may only be connected once the lines have been flushed with water. This also has an economic advantage: if a keg is connected to a line without water, the beer flows through the empty line so quickly that the first three to six glasses contain only foam. Therefore, water in the lines saves waste.

Thoroughly clean the beer lines

A draught system in which one or more beer lines are not used for an extended period of time must be thoroughly cleaned by pushing carbon dioxide through the lines to empty them and then drying them. Each type of beer leaves specific yeasts in the beer line. If another type of beer (e.g. wheat beer or bock) is connected to the line, the line must first be thoroughly cleaned by Tapwacht. Just flushing the line with water is not enough.

Do not forget about the vent hole

In the case of copper or brass beer taps that are regularly polished, copper polish residues may remain in the tap nozzle and vent hole. This will have an effect on the taste of the beer. Therefore, clean the vent hole with a little soapy water regularly. If the tap keeps dripping it may be that the vent hole is dirty or blocked. You can resolve this issue with a simple suction pump available from draught system cleaning services or technicians for the hospitality and catering industry.

Setting the perfect pressure for the tap

There is a handy rule of thumb to properly adjust the pressure of the tap. Tap pressure = temperature of the stored beer divided by 10 (thus: 20 ºC = 2 bar). If the pressure needs to be adjusted, first close the carbon dioxide tap. If the pressure is set correctly, the stream from the tap is nice and clear and round.

Source: Michael Simon www.missethoreca.nl 4-8-2017)

These tips come in very handy for the various beers in our product range