A CLEAN BEER GLASS

The glass is the last link between a finely brewed beer and your cus­tomer. A clean glass is necessary in order to serve beer at its best—it assures your clientele of the best in taste and eye appeal and tells them that you value their business. How can you maintain your glassware to keep customers coming back again and again? The most effective system is a three-compartment sink.

Sink number one has an overflow pipe with a funnel strainer in which residue from beer glasses is poured (all sinks have overflow pipes to maintain a constant water level). This sink is filled with warm water and glass cleaner.

Sink number two is the rinsing compartment, filled with cool water. A slow but steady stream of cool water should be allowed to run into this compartment throughout the washing operation.

Sink number three is the sanitizer, filled with clean cool water. Where required or preferred it contains a carefully measured amount of steri­lizing compound.

The five steps to clean beer glasses are:

1.Thoroughly clean your sinks prior to washing glasses.

2. Empty all contents of the glasses into the funnel located in sink number one. Scrub the glasses vigorously using a low-suds glass-cleaning detergent and, wherever possible, motorized brushes. Use odor-free, nonfat cleaning compounds made especially for beer glass cleaning; oil-based detergents can leave a film on glasses.

3. Thoroughly rinse the glasses in the fresh, cool water that should be constantly flowing into sink number two. Always place the glass bottom down in the rinse to eliminate the chance of air pockets forming and/or improper rinsing.

4. Repeat the same rinse operation in the third sink. Remember that many states require the use of sanitizers. If sanitizers are used, measure the amount very carefully to insure that no odor or taste is left on the glass.

5. Air dry the glass by placing it upside down on a deeply corrugated drain board, which allows air to enter the inverted glass and com­plete the drying operation by evaporation. Never dry glasses with a towel or place them on a towel or on a flat surface such as a bar or countertop. Residue from bleaches or detergents in cloth can impart an odor to the glass and spoil the delicate flavor of the beer.