Glasswashers

The first question is whether you are allowed to cut into the worktop. A built-in model disappears into the counter and drains through the existing outlet, which is the tidier solution for a fixed tap. The drip tray with integrated rinser of 60x18 cm combines both: you can also stand glasses on it to drain. If building in is not an option, at a festival or in a canteen for example, take a countertop model that sits on the surface and connects to the tap. The Spülboy models even work entirely without a connection: you fill the reservoir with water and rinse on the force of the glass itself. The Twin-Go and the Neptune T2000 are made for exactly that. Separate brush heads of 18 cm and brush sets in three and five parts are replaced on their own, because the brushes wear out faster than the unit.

Place the glass upside down over the brushes and push down with a short, firm movement. The brushes turn along the wall and the jet comes from the inside, so pressing once is enough. Turn the glass a quarter turn and repeat if there was lipstick or a ring of foam on it. Do not let the glass drain on a cloth afterwards, because that is exactly where it picks up grease again. Put it on a glass mat or straight under the tap. For beer this is the last step before pouring: hold the glass at an angle, pour against the wall and straighten it for the last fingers of head. That counts for a Kopstoot too, because a greasy glass makes the head collapse within a minute.

The housings are stainless steel or aluminium, the brushes plastic. Rinse the unit out with clean water at the end of service and leave it open, so no layer of beer stays behind in the tray. Otherwise it starts to smell and the next day you are rinsing your glasses in it. Replace brushes as soon as the bristles start to splay, because then they no longer reach the glass wall over its full height. On the models with a reservoir you change the water several times per service: a rinser full of dirty water cleans nothing. Descale periodically if you work in a hard water area.

For working by hand without a machine, the glass brushes are listed separately. The drainage underneath is with the drip trays and cleaning products under hygiene and cleaning. The glasses you rinse are with the beer glasses and the beer steins. If you also work with spirits, the recipe for a Gin & Tonic explains why a cold, clean glass matters just as much there. For the rest of the kit behind the tap, the overview of bar tools is ready for you.