Cellar Management

Though this part of the business is hidden away from most people, the best licensees take great pride in their cellars and their cellar management. Often this involves a good deal of work at the start, bringing your cellar up to standard, but this process pays dividends in the long run by keeping the products in good condition, reducing wastage, improving stock control and making the movement and handling of stock easier.

Cellar Training

No one should start running a pub without some form of cellar training. This is especially important where cask beers are to be sold. These products must be looked after carefully and kept in a clean environment to prevent them from becoming tainted. All breweries and most pub companies run recommended cellar training courses. Attending one of these courses should be a priority for you.

Cleanliness

It is important to keep your cellar clean. As well as contaminating drinks products, dirty cellars and equipment attract rodents and cockroaches. Develop daily and weekly cleaning routines to ensure your cellar remains dirt-free. You should never smoke in or allow pets to use the cellar. Check the following areas:

• Floors: keep them clean by regular scrubbing and hosing down. Use diluted line cleaner to prevent infection.
• Walls and ceilings: remove any flaking paint or whitewash carefully and repaint (low odour) or whitewash on a regular basis. Special treatments may be needed to tackle any mouldy or damp areas.
• Drainage: ensure any sump pumps are maintained and free of any blockages. Keep drains and channels clean and clear.
• Equipment: keep all cellar equipment well maintained and clean.

Tidiness

Cellars should be kept tidy and well organised. Make use of storage and shelving units to keep items like beer taps, pegs, keystones and hop filters clean, dry, and easy to locate.

Ventilation

Good ventilation is important to prevent mould growth and keep the air fresh and well circulated. Good ventilation also reduces the danger of harmful levels of CO₂ building up if there is a leak in the CO₂ system.

Temperature

Cellar temperatures should be carefully maintained at between 11.5°C and 13.5°C (53°F and 56°F) in order to keep products at their optimum condition. Failure to maintain products within their prescribed temperature range can result in customer complaints and stock wastage. Thermostatically controlled cellar cooling units can be set to maintain the temperature of the cellar within these bounds. Even so, you should have a reliable cellar thermometer positioned just above the height of your beer casks to check the cellar temperature. Any problems with your cellar-cooling unit should be reported to your cellar service representative as soon as possible, to prevent further difficulties.

Line Cleaning

Plastic piping or ‘beer lines’ carry draught beer and cider from the cellar to the bar. These build up with yeast deposits if not regularly cleaned causing beer quality and dispense problems. To keep them in good order, lines should be cleaned at least weekly, using a recommended line cleaning solution.

Unfortunately, some licensees have an undisciplined approach to line cleaning and beer lines can become heavily soiled. As a new licensee, you should ask your cellar service representative to check the beer lines that you have inherited. Badly soiled lines can be specially cleaned but in some cases, the only solution is to ask for new lines to be installed. Your cellar service representative will advise you.

Health And Safety

Cellars can be dangerous environments. Steep cellar steps, slippery conditions, pressurised gas systems, heavy beer kegs and stacks of bottled beer cases have the potential to cause accidents. Help keep you and your staff safe by following some simple precautions:

• Keep your cellar well illuminated.
• Keep the cellar floors free from trip hazards.
• Keep gas bottles chained to the wall when in use (and carefully laid flat in a suitable location, when not).
• Ensure that cellar steps and ‘cellar drops’ (where the beer is lowered into the cellar) are well maintained.
• Keep water away from electricity supplies, do not overload sockets and check that your plugs and equipment are properly fused.
• Follow the supplier’s instructions for using their gas systems.
• Do not tamper with pressurised kegs.
• Do not store chemicals in the cellar.
• Do not leave cellar drop doors or cellar flaps open unsupervised or without a suitable barrier.