General Considerations
- Beer should be stillaged in the public house until it is in best condition.
- Cellar temperatures should be checked regularly at cask height and at several places within the cellar. Correct temperature is important and influences secondary fermentation, haze formation, fining action and beer dispense.
- Codes of practice for cellar management should be available in the cellar.
- The maximum recommended times for casks to remain on dispense are two days for beer in contact with air and three days for beer in contact with carbon dioxide.
Range of Values
- Immediately after delivery the stock levels in the cellar should not exceed ten days supply.
- Storage temperature of beer should be 12° – 14° C (54° – 57° F),
- Casks should be on stillage at least 24 hours and preferably 36 hours before dispense.
Operational Protocols
- Stillage as many casks as possible on receipt, each cask should be marked to facilitate rotation of stock. Casks should be level at stillage and carefully angled when not less than one third full. Casks stored on the cellar floor, with the keystone pointing upwards, should be rolled prior to stillage.
- Casks should be vented and tapped within six hours after delivery using the recommended procedure. Beer clarity and taste should be checked the day after delivery.
- Taps and beer lines should be cleaned as and when required but at least every seven days. Cellars should be kept clean, spillages should be removed immediately. Use only recommended cleaning agents
- Cellar temperature should be controlled with chilling and heating facilities.
- To minimise risk of microbiological contamination ullage should not be added back to casks
Measurement Protocols
Cellar temperature should be checked daily using the maximum/minimum thermometer which is fixed to the wall of every cellar at cask level