Bar and Cellar Closure Guidance for our UK Friends

This is an incredibly difficult time for everyone around the world. At the Cicerone Certification Program, our thoughts are with everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially all our friends who sell and serve beer. Many of you in this business have been faced with the prospect of having to shut down your draught system for an indefinite period. In a recent blog post, I detailed guidance provided by the Brewers Association for breweries, bars, and restaurants who are faced with this reality. Since then, some of our friends in the UK have reached out to me asking for specific guidance for UK pubs. We know that UK draught systems are set up differently, with different equipment, serving temperatures, and methods of service, and we want to make sure we’re passing along pertinent information not just to our US colleagues but our UK friends as well. 

Shutting down a draught system is not difficult, but doing it correctly is very important. It can save you from having to incur needless expense when it comes time to start it back up, including cleaning up line infections or even replacing damaged equipment. Thankfully, our friends at Cask Marque have assembled guidance specifically for UK pubs who are in this unfortunate position. We’re re-printing it here with their permission (click the image below to enlarge).

Neil Witte
Master Cicerone^®
Lead Trainer, Cicerone Certification Program