Hello Willy
you said
>You Brits DO have one major advantage in that the quality of barmaids
>seems to have improved drastically in the last thirty years or so, and
that
>it seems to take 30 pulls or so to deliver a strong ale... absolutely
>fascinating
>to watch an attractive blonde do this. Perhaps you observed this at
HalMog.
>It was equally amusing to watch the reaction of all the Dutch and
Germans
>who couldn't wait to order another pint both for the drink AND the
display at
>the "Sutton Arms".
A beer engine (yes that is what the pump is called) is "technically" a
force lift pump. At each stroke one half pint (10 ounces) is drawn into
its cylinder to be dispensed into the glass at the next stroke (of the
pump that is) during which the next half pint is drawn in. A pint
should take 2 strokes. It is a very fast and efficient way to serve
beer in a busy pub. The pumps these days are rarely well maintained,
but the Sutton Arms must have contrived a very poorly maintained set of
pumps to require 30 pulls. Perhaps it was to improve the "display", or
maybe it was wishful thinking on the part of the customers that night?
By the way the downside of this approach is that the cleanliness of the
pump and the pipes very much affects the quality of the beer, as does
the volume being sold. If you take the same basic product from 2
adjacent pubs, one with a good landlord and a high volume sale and a
"quiet" pub with a more indolent proprietor the result is very
different. The first will be bright and taste good; the second will be
dull and cloudy and taste dreadful. Hence, to some extent, the move to
gas pressure kegs and pasteurise and branded beers and lagers which are
more tolerant of treatment if of mediocre quality even when at their
best.
Dave Vodden
Plus 4 4 Seater
Hampshire UK
|