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A weekly plan is devised, normally on a Monday, an assessment is made of the breweries to deliver that week, strengths and types of beer are taken into consideration.
When beer is delivered it is stored in the cellar to reach its optimum drinking temperature of around 54 deg F. This takes about 24hrs, but they are left for two or three days if possible.
A daily pump list is produced every morning, these are the beers you see at the bar, also a stillage list is created at the same time so that as a beer is consumed the duty bar staff will know what to replace it with. There are seven hand pumps and fifteen stillages, two slots for each pump delivering low to mid ABV beers and three slots for each pump delivering the higher ABV beers as these need longer to settle and mature.
When a beer has been on the stillage for a while it is spiled and tapped. Anti Bacterial spray is used on all parts of the cask that are to be broached and where it touches the stillage. It is then tested for clarity and condition. If ready it is added to the stillage list, some ales especially the higher ABV’s like time to mature and these would be left longer. Other ales are best drunk young and fresh and could be used immediately.
As the ale is drunk the cask is lifted gradually by pistons on the stillage, this is to ensure that your ale is clear to more or less the last pint. When the cask is empty it is removed from the stillage, the tap is removed and disinfected. The next cask to be used is turned on its head to distribute the fininings, rolled and spun and then jacked onto the stillage, it is then timed and dated. When a beer is changed a bucket of clean water is pulled through the line, this is in addition to the lines being cleaned at least once a week.
The cunning plan is to have ales ranging in ABV and type, but as you lovely, thirsty people know, that doesn’t always happen!
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