The Cask Marque Guide to Bar and Cellar Closure

Due to the current circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the pubs have now closed for an extended period of time. We understand this is a very challenging and difficult time for social venues, with many pubs trying to think of alternative ways of staying afloat, such as offering take-away and food delivery services. At Stay in a Pub we are here to support pubs by providing helpful advice to those looking for alternate revenue streams during these unprecedented times.

We asked the team at Cask Marque for their suggestions on pub maintenance during the COVID-19 lockdown. Whilst the following points may be common knowledge for most pub groups, we have compiled a list of Cask Marque’s top recommendations:

1. Clean all cask and keg lines as per your usual procedure
2. Do not leave water in any beer line: empty the lines of water by blowing keg lines (see instructions here courtesy of Avani Solutions) and pull water through until air on cask lines. Alternatively, fill the lines with a beer line protector such as Proton Guardian
3. All couplers should be sanitised and attached to the ring main sockets
4. Remove hop filters from cask lines, and hand the lines off the floor
5. Clean all cask equipment (taps, hop filters, extractor rods, auto tilts, dipsticks) in sanitiser and leave to air dry
6. Turn gas cylinders off at individual valves, cleaning gas valve and main supply
7. Turn remote coolers off at the plug
8. If you still have unbroached kegs in the cellar we recommend keeping the cooling fans switched on to preserve the life of the stock. Otherwise, turn cooling fans off. Return any un-used in date stock to your supplier.
9. Ensure all empty casks are corked and stored in a secure area
10. Ensure all glassware is clean and stored on ventilated matting
11. Drain glasswasher, clean all filters and inner surfaces, switch off and leave door open
12. Empty ice machine, sanitise inner surfaces, switch off, and leave hatch door open
13. Remove sparklers and nozzles from spouts, clean in hot water and leave to air dry
14. Remove stock from bottle coolers and optic rails. Switch off fridges and leave open.
15. Finally carry out regular checks in the cellar for pests, damp and ventilation