Alcohol-free on draught? Clean nozzles every night and keep it cold

Without alcohol to help hold bugs back, draught alcohol-free beer leans harder on temperature, gas and clean lines. That was the message from Dr Grzegorz Rachon of food and drink science body Campden BRI, speaking at Club Soda's Low, No & Mid conference in London and reported by The Morning Advertiser.

What the study found - 90 draught alcohol-free samples from 42 outlets in the UK, Spain, Belgium and the US - 51% had low microbial counts, 32% were in the middle and 17% were high, a level that can change taste and make beer cloudy - In the UK 31% of samples were high, against 7% in Spain. Cellar temperature, long lines and shared systems may play a part, but the study didn't find a single cause - No E. coli or Salmonella was found - It didn't compare alcohol-free with ordinary beer, so it doesn't show AF is more likely to go wrong

Your checklist - Keep the cellar cold and steady - Keep the gas right, because carbonation helps keep beer stable - Stick to the line-cleaning schedule - Clean the nozzles at close, every night - Taste and look at the first pint: check smell, flavour and clarity

On your shift: if an AF pint looks hazy or tastes off, don't serve it. Pull it through, tell your manager and note when the line was last cleaned.