Sanitation

Beer piping and dispensing equipment sanitation is an essential precondition for pouring high-quality beer. And don't think this is some ridiculous modern invention. Remember the idyllic era of Hrabal's Short Cuts (Postriziny), when so-called "nozzlers" used to go around the pubs. They were called this due to the "tube" of black elder which they pushed into the mechanism of beer pipes in order to scrub the dirty walls. And modern sanitation is based on the same principle. A technician connects the beer piping system and the beer tower to a circuit with a sanitation solution, and inserts the tube, which moves from one side of the system to another, by force of pressure.

Beer piping sanitation is a process using chemical and mechanical power to eliminate adverse microorganisms and beer stone in beer piping. To keep the beer piping clean, sanitation must be performed at regular intervals:

The beer piping must be cleaned once a week if not rinsed with water every day. The same interval is required for non-pasteurized beer (bag-in-box system).
A two-week interval is permissible if the beer piping is rinsed every day with water after beer pouring is finished.
If sanitation is performed at longer intervals (once every three weeks or longer), the beer quality may be greatly jeopardized and, above all, the beer’s taste may change substantially.

The correct beer piping sanitation process (by sanitation staff)

1. The keg is disconnected.
2. The piping is put into a circuit.
3. The sanitation equipment is switched on. The “Bubble-craft mini” type and similar sanitation equipment may be used to clean Plzensky Prazdroj’s dispensing equipment.
4. The circuit is rinsed with drinking water (which pushes beer residuals out) and filled with a sanitation agent. The sanitation agent must be approved by Plzensky Prazdroj, a.s.
5. The sanitation time required by the sanitation agent producer must be observed. Usually, it takes 20 minutes. For mechanical cleansing of the piping, use a sponge.
6.  Removed taps must be disassembled, dipped in the sanitation agent, mechanically cleaned, washed with clean water and re-assembled.
7. The same process is used for keg couplers.
8. After sanitation, the beer piping is rinsed with water thoroughly.
9. The dispensing equipment is re-assembled.
10. The piping is filled with water; tightness of connections is checked.
11. The amount of water in a beer cooler must also be checked.
12. The sanitation is recorded in a sanitation journal.
13. Sanitation of two sets of beer piping should take 45 minutes approximately.
14. A beer cooler condenser is cleaned twice a year, using a recommended process. The cleaning process is recorded in a sanitation journal. The condenser is also cleaned by an authorized sanitation contractor as part of the beer piping sanitation).
15. The regular price for sanitation of two sets of beer piping is 350 CZK roughly.

To improve the quality of sanitation of beer piping and dispensing equipment, the Technical Service trains sanitation companies’ staff on an annual basis. During the training course, the trainees receive instructions on the sanitation process, occupational safety and beer quality. Sanitation companies become an “authorized” sanitation contractor provided that they have gone through such training and observe the requirements of Plzensky Prazdroj, a.s.

An authorized sanitation contractor is a company which holds Plzensky Prazdroj’s authorization to provide sanitation of Plzensky Prazdroj’s dispensing equipment. Such a company may sanitate and perform preventative maintenance of dispensing equipment owned by Plzensky Prazdroj.

An authorized sanitation company represents a guarantee of high quality of sanitation, as well as additional services such as technical gas distribution, dispensing equipment, preventative maintenance, etc.

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