Who's responsible for dirty beer lines?

We had more than a few there one afternoon, it is a classic.

 

Self-distributing brew rep here, this topic is a part of my job.

Comrade is a small 15 bbl brewery. We hardly distribute 10 miles from the brewery and are fairly selective about where we place our beer. That said, line quality can still be an issue. I work to ensure I know who is taking care of their lines. We have some of the best beer in Denver, why ruin it on a contaminated line?

If the beer buyer regularly cleans their lines themselves after every keg (preferred) or contracts with a company to have the lines taken care of every two weeks or so, I'll usually leave it at that. For other accounts I will happily clean the lines myself as often as needed. I've taken apart faucets, replaced o-rings, diagnosed pressure issues. All for the sake of your quality, dear beer drinker.

And I have had to cancel accounts who would not take care of their equipment to our satisfaction.

I'll try to taste the beer as soon as it goes on tap, just to make sure everything is up to par. Sometimes I rely on word of mouth and, sadly, Untappd.

That's it! If you're in Denver and haven't tried Comrade, hop to it!

 

Sounds good!

A follow on question: What would you expect to happen if the distribution footprint expanded to include all of Colorado and 5-6 neighboring states?

 

Holy crap. The last time I saw someone use so many words to say so little I was reading a Stephen King novel.

Also, this statement is ridiculous:

How often do you actually get a "bad pour" that you would describe it as an epidemic?

 

If you are in a restaurant who is responsible for dirty forks? Why isn't it the same for beer?

 

I think John Deere and Monsanto should send people around to make sure tap lines are clean.

If you disagree, perhaps you understand why tap lines are the responsibility of the bar owner, and not the brewer (unless it is in their own taproom)

 

Pay attention closely now. I said many countries have food and beverage quality control accreditation systems in place. I'd never recommend one, even a voluntary one, for the US if other countries did not do it already.

 

I was irritated when I saw Ballantine advertising its India Pale Ale as "America's First Craft Beer," but I loved the stuff back in the day. I'm going to buy a bottle for old time's sake and rate it just like an official under-6-million-barrels craft beer.​

 

I do understand. But the USA is like 50 countries. There are many lobbies in place that have strong interests in things remaining the same. I agree with your sentiments, but doubt that there is political will.

 

Again, my suggestion is a VOLUNTARY accreditation system administered by the Brewer's Association, NOT a state or Federal body. They already have many sensible voluntary recommendations in place; just convert it to an accreditation system.

 

I know what you're saying, but it must be administered for some sort of legitimacy. My SIMPLE point is that establishments should clean their own lines and treat beer as a regular food product. It's all over the place now. It is a tough issue and I've been dealing with it for decades. The problem is really that too much free "beer" flows through lines, clean or filthy.

 

What would I expect to happen if our distribution grew to include all of CO and 5-6 states? We'd have one pissed-off head brewer, that's for sure. Simply distributing to Denver often exhausts our supply. That's a downside if you're in Ft. Collins or the Springs and would like our suds, but the upside is we can really focus on quality.

We're well worth the trip up or down I-25.

 

I seriously cannot stop laughing at this comment. Totally absurd.

Aaaahhhhh <gasp> please stop! You're killing me! I'm hearing this in your best redneck Clint Eastwood impersonation. How totally and narrow-mindedly American!