Does your outlet offer food? If so, you’ll be aware that food handlers are required by law to make sure that food is safe for human consumption. EU regulations state that food businesses have to ensure any staff who handle food are supervised properly and receive food hygiene training.
Is there a similar regulation for beer training? Unfortunately not, which means that anyone can look after the beer in the cellar and on the bar without any formal training.
Cask Marque training
At Cask Marque, we passionately believe that the quality of the beer passed across a bar should meet the same standards of food served from a kitchen.
- Have you ever wondered why cask beer tastes lifeless and flat? Or why a beer has an unusual ‘off’ flavour or aroma?
- Is your beer occasionally hazy or cloudy?
- Do you want to know why cask beer ‘fobs’, resulting in wasted beer in drip trays?
Similarly, many publicans carry out practices or procedures with draught beer without understanding the logic and reasoning behind it, such as…
- Why does water have to be flushed through the lines before carrying out a line clean? Are there any ways of reducing wasted beer during a line clean?
- Why does cask ale have to be left for a period of time after venting and tapping before being sold? What’s actually happening when cask is being ‘conditioned’?
- Why does a cask of ale have to be sold within three days, and is there anything that can be done to maintain the quality throughout this period, or even extend it?
- Why can’t crockery be washed in a glasswasher, and what’s the purpose behind renovating new glasses?
If publicans learn the science behind all of this, and the reasoning for implementing recommended practices and behaviours, the results speak for themselves: increased yields, less wastage and excellent beer quality. 34% of customers would walk away and not purchase a second pint (or return) if the quality of the beer was poor*.
BBPA statistics state that 7 in 10 drinks sold in bars are beer. This is why Cask Marque believe beer handlers should receive the same level of training that food handlers do. Beer quality is critical to your business.
What’s the Solution?
The only nationally recognised cellar and bar qualification, accredited and assessed by the British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body. This is called the Award in Beer and Cellar Quality (ABCQ), and Cask Marque use their experts to deliver this training nationwide. Using a blend of theory, practical exercises, tests and multi media, this one day course is a must have for anyone involved in the handling and serving of draught beer.
You may not look after the cellar yourself, or even drink beer, but if you’re a publican, it’s essential that someone in the business is taking care of your beer range in a professional and knowledgeable manner.
To find out more, visit www.cask-marque.co.uk/training or call the training team leader on 01206 984470.