A corner of the cellar full of steel
At the back of the cellar there is a stack of empty kegs and casks. Some are from the wholesaler, some from the regional brewery and some from three local breweries. There are also CO2 and mixed gas cylinders, some full, some empty. The small brewery's driver asks which casks are theirs. You look for the stamp on each one. Two local breweries use similar casks.
A few months later a brewery says you have casks of theirs that were never returned, and the gas supplier invoices for a cylinder you are sure went back. You have no record either way.
Why containers go missing
Containers are the supplier's property, but they spend weeks in your cellar and move in and out with every delivery. Deliveries are recorded on the supplier's paperwork, collections often not at all. When several suppliers collect from the same stack, casks can go back with the wrong one and then sit in someone else's yard.
Gas cylinders are worse because they look alike and are changed by whoever is on duty when the gas runs out. Nobody writes down which cylinder went on, which came off or when the empty was collected.
Casks and kegs also look very similar across breweries, especially the plain steel ones used by small brewers or rented from a cask hire company. The brewery's name may be on a small stamp or a worn label, and at seven in the morning nobody reads them all.
What container confusion costs
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Empties not collected | Cellar space lost, trip hazards |
| Casks returned to the wrong brewery | Small breweries short of casks, and bad feeling |
| No record of returns | Charges for containers you believe you returned |
| Gas cylinders untracked | Running out mid-service or paying for missing cylinders |
| Too many full cylinders | Rental on stock you do not need |
Small breweries in particular rely on getting their casks back. A pub that returns them quickly and correctly is a pub they are happy to supply first.
There is a safety and space side as well. Empties stacked in the wrong place block the route to the cellar steps or the cooling unit, and a cluttered cellar makes every other job, changing barrels, cleaning lines, taking a delivery, slower and more awkward for whoever is down there.
Every container in and out
- Each delivery check records containers arriving by supplier and type: kegs of each size, casks, gas cylinders. Where containers carry a number or barcode, that can be captured.
- When a keg or cask is emptied, it is marked empty, and when a gas cylinder is changed, the change is recorded with one tap.
- The tool shows empties waiting by supplier, so the right ones are ready when each driver comes.
- Collections are recorded with the driver, date and containers taken, with a photo of the collection note if there is one.
- Gas cylinders full, in use and empty are counted, with a reminder to order before you run low and a warning if you are holding more than you usually need.
- If a supplier queries missing containers, you have the record of what came in and what went back.
Supplier container terms and any charges are between you and each supplier. We give you the record to discuss them with.
When the next driver arrives
The local brewery's driver comes in. The phone shows four of their casks waiting, and the stack is labelled by supplier. They take them, and the collection is recorded. The gas screen shows one full CO2 cylinder left and the order goes in. When a brewery later queries missing casks, you show them the collection dates.
- Empties sorted and ready for the right supplier
- Every collection recorded
- Gas cylinders counted and reordered in time
- A record to answer container queries
Does this sound like your cellar?
- Empties from several suppliers pile up together.
- Drivers take the wrong casks or leave theirs behind.
- You have been charged for containers you think went back.
- Gas runs out without warning during service.
- Nobody records when a gas cylinder is changed.