Crystal Clear – How to Clean a Beer Glass
A bad glass can ruin a good beer — and a customer’s experience. Teach your bartenders the five steps toward a “beer-clean” glass:
- Start with a clean, three-compartment sink. Sink one should be filled with warm water and glass cleaner, and should feature an overflow pipe to maintain a constant water level and a funnel strainer to catch residue when glasses are emptied. Number two should be filled with cool water, with a slow but steady stream allowed to run throughout the washing process. Number three is filled with a sanitizer and clean, cool water.
- Empty all contents into the funnel in sink one. Scrub vigorously using a low-suds glass-cleaning detergent and, whenever possible, motorized brushes. Use odor-free, nonfat cleaning compounds made especially for cleaning beer glasses. Oil-based detergents can leave a film.
- Thoroughly rinse glasses in sink two. Always place the glass bottom down in the rinse to eliminate the chance of air pockets forming and/or improper rinsing.
- Repeat in sink three.
- Air dry the glass. Place it upside down on a deeply corrugated drain board, allowing air to enter the inverted glass and complete the drying operation by evaporation.
