Draught Is My Craft: Troubleshooting Life from the Draught Technicians Perspective

        We don't list Carbon Dioxide [CO2] as an ingredient in our beer, but one could argue that we should.  The primary reason we don't, is because CO2 occurs in Beer, as a natural by-product of the brewing process.  The reason that some of us feel it should be included, is because modern brewing, kegging, and packaging methods cause carbonation loss.  The lost CO2 is forcibly reintroduced, during the finishing process of the beer.  If the beer is served from a keg, CO2 is also introduced, again, during dispense.  Finally, in the case of Nitrogenous beers such as Guinness, Boddington's, Old Speckled Hen, and numerous others, we also add Nitrogen gas, as way to lighten the mouth feel of these Low Carbonation Brews.  The reason I would advocate for listing gasses as ingredients, is to also show customers that only 1 or 2 gasses are supposed to be there, and lends credibility to quality advocates.  These Gasses effect flavour and pr...

          I hate the word "tap." And I get it; people aren't going to change. It's the word they have always used. That does not mean that I am going to stop fighting. Just because people keep doing it, doesn't make it okay. Examples: racism, spousal abuse, child abuse, slavery, sex trafficking, murder, using the word "decimate" where they mean annihilate, massacre, or obliterate, listening to Nickelback... All of these things still happen, even though we all know how wrong they are. Consider this an official warning: If you, the Beer professional, continue to use the noun "tap" in  my presence, I will do my best to berate and belittle you, in the presence of your peers and underlings.      For you non-professionals and Newbies, I can sense the confusion and shock as it falls across your faces. How does this little, utilitarian word envoke such white-hot rage in the heart of an otherwise kind person?  The thing is, some...

This is a True story.  You will notice that I do not name the business, nor the town in which it is located. I do this to protect innocent parties. Crappy businesses often have employees, that either have nowhere else to go, or who are bullied into keeping their mouths shut. Furthermore, one or more of the businesses involved may have changed hands by the time I write this story. It would be completely unfair to disparage the new operator, without first seeing if they have made any changes. Usually they have.      In today's tale, I shall tell  of the Horror of the Five Keg Series.       I believe it was late Spring, when I was dispatched to a "Hotel", in a mid-sized city in Southern Ontario, on behalf of a local Craft Brewery. Like many cities of this size, in Ontario, it is fairly isolated. It has one or two smaller satellite cities, but for the most part, is surrounded by farmland or wilderness.  The city is an older one, founded as a...

At what temp should Draught be stored, and poured? This may not seem like a controversial subject, but for some reason, it is.  The issue is that the best temperature for tasting your beer often differs from the best temperature for pouring your beer. The bottom line is, beer that is properly carbonated needs to be below 40° f/4° c, to pour correctly. Some beers will even begin to act up at 39° f/3.5° c. Most literature on the subject says 38 degrees Fahrenheit or 3° c is your desired keg temperature. This is not false, nor is it entirely true.      Let me tell you what I think, and then defend it. Target your keg storage temperature for 2° c/ 36° f.      "That's too cold." drones Morgyn, who is my fictitious, archetype, Know-it-all.  This is mostly true, especially when you're talking about craft ales. Most experts will agree that the optimal flavor profile is found between 4° c/40° f and 7° c/48° f.. "But, what about light lagers,  Morgyn?"...

I do understand the dangers of generalizing. So, please understand that this is merely an observation, and of course, not everyone is always what they appear to be. Political correctness aside, and journalistic integrity intact, my experience as a Draught Equipment Technician has  taught me that, when approaching any sale, it helped to identify my customer. Knowing who my customer was, in terms of spending appetite, and risk tolerance, was absolutely instrumental in knowing how to approach a sale. And don't you dare recoil at the word sale. We all sell things. Politicians sell ideas and agendas. Religious folks sell "God". Most of my customers sell beer, other alcoholic beverages, not alcoholic craft-beverages, service, or like me, beverage equipment. Just because it is necessary, doesn't mean that it sells itself. I have found that there are three main personalities types, when it comes to decision makers, in restaurants. I am intentionally leaving out a fourth type,...