During the thirteen years Jen has been immersed in the craft beer industry, one thing has remained the same: her love for the craft beer. Her goal is and has been to put NYS craft beer on the map and help bring awareness to the NYS Craft beer industry. With all the various roles Jen has played in the industry, including head-brewer, she has a unique understanding of the craft beer world and is honored to help promote the amazing craft beer produced in this awesome state!
In such uncertain times, we find ourselves questioning some basic day to day practices. The NYSBA safety committee along with the BA safety committee has been working on providing you with practical and safe practices for both your employees and consumers during this unfortunate time. See below for some useful tips:
Growler and Crowler recommended sanitation guidelines:
According to the National Restaurant Association, the best practices to properly clean glassware and limit contamination will involve a two-step process: 1) Use a detergent and water solution to remove any dirt from the bottle. 2) Sanitize by either heat or chemicals to reduce pathogens. Please note, that if cleaning growlers in a 3 bay sink, you’ll need to dump and refill after every wash. The BA has provided best practice for cleaning growlers pre-COVID-19. To review this information, please click here.
For crowler sanitation, we recommend you use a sanitizer such as Star San, and use it at the recommended concentration. Dunk the crowler or use a spray bottle and have it dry for 2 minutes. Don’t rinse then fill. If you do not have Star San, clean as you would normally clean
Providing a safe atmosphere for to-go, curbside and delivery for both staff and consumers:
ServSafe has provided two free short videos that recommend how to properly keep both you and your costumers safe. Although most of the information is common sense, here are some quick takeaways: 1) Wear gloves at all times. If gloves become ripped, contaminated or exceeded a four-hour life span, then replace gloves. 2) If in contact with another person, remain 6 ft or more apart from them. 3) Clean and sanitize surfaces often. 4) If delivering, clean coolers, bags and cars every day.
BA’s safety guidance on “warm shutdown” or skeleton crew:
Only trained and authorized employees shall perform the tasks.
• Create detailed lists of who can access facilities during a warm shutdown complete with names, tasks, and phone numbers.
• Document all emergency contacts and skeleton crews.
• Avoid having a lone worker in the brewery. If one must work alone, ensure they have a communication device and a procedure exists to notify another member of your team when they arrive and when they leave. READ MORE…
BA’s safety guidance on “cold shutdown” or no non-essential workers:
Create a detailed record of who can access facilities during a cold shutdown including names, tasks, and phone numbers.
• Avoid having a lone worker in the brewery. If one must work alone, ensure they have a communication device and a procedure exists to notify another member of your team when they arrive and when they leave. READ MORE…
We will continue to work and modify best practices and producers as we move forward. If you have any questions, please see below. We are happy to help.
Have a safety-related question?
Have a question about safety in the brewery? Ask Us!
NYSBA Safety Committee
Bill Lenczuk (chair) – Shrewd Fox
Tony Cordova – Lucky Hare
Justin Frost – CBW
Jen Meyers – NYSBA
Interested in joining the safety committee? Please email Jen Meyers at Jen@newyorkcraftbeer.com
