How Sure Are You of Your Gas?

The importance of using the correct food grade, beverage gas mix to ensure beer quality

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The ability to form a stable head of foam and flavour characteristics of beer are important factors in determining the consumer’s judgement of beer quality.

Problems of product quality play an important role in determining consumer choice and the ultimate consumer decision to vote with their feet or, even worse, risk to health and safety to said consumer.

Cheap gas is not necessarily a cost saving and, if gas is not food grade quality, supplied to the correct mix according to the Brand Owners’ requirements, WILL affect flavour, taste, after-taste, fobbing and haze.

The use of quality, food grade beverage gas is required by law.  To ensure your gas is of the right quality and SAFE always use a supplier you can trust.  For a list of BFBi Accredited Gas Suppliers CLICK HERE

It is estimated that there are some 150,000 stolen gas cylinders currently in circulation in the UK.

Illicit fillers will acquire stolen cylinders and, whilst the exterior appears OK, the interior may be severely corroded and in a dangerous condition.  This will not only contaminate soft drinks and beer, producing an unpleasant metallic taste, it presents a high safety risk.

Illicit fillers will, almost certainly, not be using food grade gas and will, almost certainly, not be using the correct gas specification, compressed air, helium, propane are all gases that have been found in pub gas cylinders supplied by illicit fillers and are all gases that can lead to a high health & safety risk.

Can you ensure that the cylinder in your cellar conforms to the list below?

• Obtained from reputable suppliers whose safety/quality standards can be trusted
• There is no attempt to replace a supplier’s brand/label on a cylinder
• The cylinder is correctly identifiable i.e. CO2 or mixed gas
• A cylinder valve guard is fitted
• A visible product traceability label is present
• There is an undamaged and un-cut coloured plastic test date ring fitted under the cylinder valve
• You have been supplied with a current material safety data sheet

If you cannot confirm all of the above then you should reject the cylinder.

If there is evidence of tampering e.g. grinding marks on the cylinder shoulder or if there is any other obvious damage e.g. broken valve or valve guard you should reject the cylinder.

For further information please contact Head Office on 019021 422303 or email info@bfbi.org.uk

To report a suspicious cylinder ring the BFBi Gas Hotline 01902 795 743