Harlequins Rugby Club is one of 150 pubs and bars testing a system that uses mobile technology to improve the quality of its beer.

'The Intelligent Pub' is designed to automatically monitor the cleanliness of beer lines, the exact temperature of drinks served and the size of measures, which brewers and publicans hope will ensure that the quality of their brands are maintained.

'Considering that in one afternoon, the club dispenses more beer than the average pub would in four months, we face a particular challenge with the sheer volume of drinks and the number of customers we have to manage,' said Harlequins general manager John McBride.

'The system helps us maintain the excellent service levels we already aspire to and to identify and rectify any problem areas that might affect out customers or the business,' he said.

The system, developed by Brulines, Box Telematics and Orange, will help the Harlequins bar staff guarantee the quality of their beer, and also provides a platform for tracking other pub assets.

Using wireless telemetry across the Orange mobile network, the Intelligent Pub can automatically monitor a wide range of events, such as the temperature of the beer, the number of punters coming into the bar, and the amount of cash in the fruit machines.

The data is collected and transmitted wirelessly to a remote Brulines-hosted management server across Orange's GSM network.

The server automatically analyses the data and then issues SMS or email reports to publicans, warning them to clean their beer lines or advising brewers that a stock top-up will soon be necessary.

'Mobile technology isn't just about putting a mobile phone in the hands of your staff, it's also about improving the way your business operates,' said a spokesman for Orange.

About 150 pubs and three brewers are testing the system.

'Punters don't change the brand of beer they drink, they just change pubs when they encounter bad quality. This can help make beer great again,' said Brulines managing director James Dickson.