The dirtiest drink you can order at a pub - and why the North serves better beer
How pubs should be serving their beer
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You might not be surprised to hear that not all pints are pristine.
Your landlord may well have the banter of the Inbetweeners Movie , their beer mats might be well positioned – but that doesn't mean the lines are clean.
Pub inspectors from Cask Marque, a company that monitors quality in the country's drinking establishments, have been collecting data from beer taps across the UK.
The aim is to determine hygiene standards across the board. Cask Marque has been using smart devices attached to pumps to analyse cleanliness in lagers, real ales, and ciders.
Cleaning the lines
(Photo: Getty)
You'll be unsurprised to hear that busy bartenders often neglect beer lines. They're the tubes that connect taps to the barrels in the cellar. They deliver your tipple.
In pubs, it's important to clean the lines . It should happen once a week – when the kegs of alcohol are nearly empty. The tubes are connected to cleaning fluids and pumped through as if beer.
(Before this can happen, the last of the booze has to be pumped through. And is usually drunk by staff after hours. It makes the cleaning process a little more fun, you see).
The issue is, however, according to Cask Marque, is not enough pubs are clearing the lines with the necessary regularity. It means they're serving dirty pints, tainted with dirt and germs.
And there's one pint more dirty than the others: cider.
(Photo: Getty)
As part of the Beer Quality Report 2017, Cask Marque found that the 'dirtiest' beverage is cider.
The report revealed that 44 per cent of cider consumed by thirst locals – a fair amount in the West Country, no doubt – was coming out of suboptimal lines.
“Cask Marque has spent almost 20 years banging the drum about beer quality, and still the message is not getting through to retailers,” said Paul Nunny, director of Cask Marque.
Paul said the news could have a negative impact on an already struggling industry. He called for landlords to work to the "proper standard".
Pints are 'too warm'
(Photo: Getty)
Cask Marque also found that six percent of all pints are served too warm – not good for the whole germs thing. The company also ranked beverage quality across the country.
Generally speaking, the North (particularly the North East), is cleaner than the south. Pints down south are also more expensive, let's not forget.
On average, maintenance is worth in the South West, Wales, and the South East. The North East and West, and Yorkshire, have the best pints. Read the full breakdown on the Morning Advertiser .