How To Identify Whether or Not Your Beer Glasses Are Clean

 

One of the key components to any hospitality operation is sanitation. Providing guests with clean and sanitized glassware is obviously important from an antibacterial standpoint, but its also something that more trained eyes will notice. Because while you may have run your glassware through an industrial dishwasher or cleaned them by hand, a clean glass doesn’t necessarily mean its beer clean. In a recent Lifehacker article, Emily Price unearthed a Youtube clip with former Miller-Coors Chairman Pete Coors discussing how to identify whether your glass is beer clean.

It’s important to note what the difference between clean and beer clean is. When you wash a glass and use dish detergent, remnants of detergent or oils from it can remain on the glass. This small amount of residue can be enough to alter and affect the aroma, and flavor of the beer. For the savvy cicerone, they’ll also notice slight aesthetic flaws in the way the beer interacts with the glass.

There are a few ways to tell if a glass is beer clean. The first is by examining the beer that is being poured. After the beer is poured, if the head dissipates quickly or if the bubbles cling to the inside of the glass, the glass is not “beer ready”. If the foam does not cling to the inside of the glass as the consumer starts drinking, that can also be a tell-tale sign it’s not “beer clean”.

A way to tell if your glass is beer ready before you’ve poured your customer a beer is too wet the inside of the glass and pour a small amount of salt on the inside. If it evenly coats the inside of the glass, the glass is beer ready. However, if salting the glass interior results in clumps or seems to stick to the glass unevenly, this means the glassware isn’t ready yet.

Of course, Pete Coors breaks down the proper cleaning method to yield the best results. First, wash the glass in the first sink, using the brushes, using low suds, and non-fat or non-oil based detergent. Then, rinse the glass in cold water, dunking the base-end down first. Then, dunk again in hot water with a proper sanitizer, and allow to air dry.

With today’s beer drinker coming to the table with a more sophisticated knowledge of the booze they’re ordering, bubbles sticking to the side of their glass can make a significant difference. We talk about differentiation a lot at TabletopJournal. Sometimes that differentiation manifests itself in small, seemingly trivial ways. However, something as simple as hand washing your beer glasses can result in a flawless beer drinking experience for your guests… and that’s something we can drink to!

To read Emily Price’s full article click here: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-quickly-tell-if-your-beer-glass-is-really-clean-1798734099

– S Jones