Clean lines, clean beer
No matter how much care and attention the brewer put into it, the beer in your glass is only as good as the draft system it’s poured through at a restaurant or bar. Dirty beer lines or taps can quickly turn the flavor from fresh to foul.
“Everybody who puts money down for a good beer deserves what they’re expecting,” Dave Glor, western field quality manager for New Belgium Brewing, said at a session here this morning.
About 40 brewers, distributors, retailers and line cleaners gathered at River City Brewing for the workshop presented by the Washington Brewers Guild.
The kind of bacteria that grows in draft systems won’t make you sick, but it certainly can harm the health of your beer.
There are two main offenders. One is diacetyl, typically caused by dirty lines, which can contribute butterscotch flavors and a slick, slippery mouthfeel. The other is acetic acid, commonly a result of contaminated tap faucets, which turns beer sour and vinegary.
Properly cleaning lines every two weeks, with a pump instead of just soaking them, is enough to keep things under control, Glor said.
In Idaho, beer distributors are allowed to pay to have draft lines cleaned at their accounts. If there’s a problem with a bar or restaurant there, “I can say something to someone (at the distributor) and get it fixed,” said Ely Johnson, area sales manager (aka “beer ranger”) for New Belgium.
But in Washington, and 12 other states, that’s considered to be an improper benefit to retailers and isn’t allowed.
“Here, I have to hope they take my word for it,” Johnson said – which doesn’t always happen, he added: “There’s definitely accounts that for me, as a salesperson, I would prefer they not sell our beer.”
Breweries have a responsibility to encourage accounts to clean their draft systems, said Glor, not by “playing the blame game,” but by explaining the benefits to everyone when beer is served properly.
While business owners may think frequent cleaning is too expensive, he said, studies show that sales actually increase when lines are given the proper care.
“If you go in with the mentality of helpfulness that we all have in the craft beer industry, you’ll find you’re going to be able to win in a lot of situations,” Glor said.
Even though they might not have as much detailed knowledge or influence as brewers, customers also have a role to play if they get a bad-tasting beer.
“If you’re really not enjoying your beer, send it back,” said Glor. “If someone sends back a pint, bars generally take that pretty seriously.”