Blood in beer

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SoxFan44

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So we were brewing yesterday and my brother cut himself and a few drops of blood got into our beer post boil. Few questions for everyone out there:

1) Are we going to have problems with the batch?
2) Would you drink it?
3) Would you give it to a friend without telling them?

This was just one of a myriad of problems with yesterday's brew sessions. :mad:
 
Although we might typically disinfect a cut with hydrogen peroxide, some use rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. It hurts but shrinks the capillaries and disinfects. The process of fermentation will generate ethanol and should theoretically disinfect your beer. I'd have no problems drinking that. Plus, you're talking about a few drops in 5 gals (I assume). Dilution also reduces the concentration of the blood.
 
Does post boil mean the wort was still hot, or was it after cooling? Either way I think that you would be okay. Was it a blood orange hefe by any chance ;)?
 
SoxFan44 said:
1) Are we going to have problems with the batch?
2) Would you drink it?
3) Would you give it to a friend without telling them?
Click to expand...

  1. I don't know but probably not if you used good sanitation (besides the blood addition)
  2. No
  3. No

Although vampires may love it. :D
 
Brewenstein said:
Does post boil mean the wort was still hot, or was it after cooling? Either way I think that you would be okay. Was it a blood orange hefe by any chance ;)?
Click to expand...

It was cooled, we had just pitched the yeast. It's an Imperial IPA. We were going to sweat and cry into the beer too, so we could call it 'Blood, Sweat, and Tears'.
 
MetallHed said:
First question:

Does your brother have aids?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't matter if he did. The beer would still be fine to drink.

1. No.
2. Yes, assuming it is a decent beer to begin with.
3. No. Not because there is any risk. There isn't. None whatsoever. but because if they later found out about it they might get pissed. People aren't rational. Have fun with it and incorporate it into the name.
 
SoxFan44 said:
So we were brewing yesterday and my brother cut himself and a few drops of blood got into our beer post boil. Few questions for everyone out there:

1) Are we going to have problems with the batch?
2) Would you drink it?
3) Would you give it to a friend without telling them?

This was just one of a myriad of problems with yesterday's brew sessions. :mad:
Click to expand...

So the Bloody Sunday ale... that’s my suggestion for the name.

To the questions:

1) No. Blood is nutritionally rich and the yeast is likely to love it. Unless your brother was having a systemic infection, it should not introduce undesirable contamination to your batch.
2) Heck no! I would only if it was my blood. No matter how much I know it would be OK to drink it, it's just human nature, can't help it.
3) Absolutely not!
 
The downside is that if the beer is really good there is a chance that this could turn into a Little Shop of Horrors. I can see your fermenter crying out to you now, "Feed me, Seymour"...
 
It's been pretty well established by now that it's not going to harm your beer so I'll just weigh in on the other points.

2. Yes, I would drink it. A few drops of blood in 5 gallons of liquid is an insignificant volume. You probably ingest a higher volume of fecal matter on a daily basis accidentally than you would get from a single bottle. I would imagine the yeast would consume it for nutrients or it would fall out of suspension anyway and get left behind in the trub.

3. No, because people are strange and weird things bother them. More beer for you.
 
yea, you should be fine. the yeast is going to take over that beer and any alcohol that is created is going to destroy anything that was in that blood.
 
jmf143 said:
I won't be dining with you any time soon . . .
Click to expand...

Lol, I'm talking about the fact that the FDA allows a certain weight % of different non-food substances in foods. For instance, a % of rat feces are pretty common in grain-based foods. Just one example that I personally think is more "gross" than blood, but still determined to be relatively harmless. Insect parts, "other" animals in meats, etc are also pretty common.
 
I might drink it myself if it was me, but DO NOT give the beer to anyone without telling them...let them decide for themself...IMHO it is just plain gross, immoral, and likely to get you sued or, perhaps even shot.

And yes I'll eat/drink most anything, no not a holy roller, no not sue happy, and probably only shoot if you are found in my house without invitation. ;)

Only my $0.02.
 
SoxFan44 said:
So we were brewing yesterday and my brother cut himself and a few drops of blood got into our beer post boil. Few questions for everyone out there:

1) Are we going to have problems with the batch?
2) Would you drink it?
3) Would you give it to a friend without telling them?

This was just one of a myriad of problems with yesterday's brew sessions. :mad:
Click to expand...

1) i have no idea
2) no
3) no
 
Brewer_Bob said:
Wouldn't matter if he did. The beer would still be fine to drink.

1. No.
2. Yes, assuming it is a decent beer to begin with.
3. No. Not because there is any risk. There isn't. None whatsoever. but because if they later found out about it they might get pissed. People aren't rational. Have fun with it and incorporate it into the name.
Click to expand...

How would it not matter?
 
I'm much more grossed out at the thought of drinking that spit beer than any beer with a little bit of blood in it.
Click to expand...

Haha, kind of agree... but after seeing that episode of brewmasters i don't think i'd have a problem drinking it (at least their transparent version... not sure i'd feel the same way drinking that concoction they produce in third world countries.)

I would not have any problem drinking it myself if its only a few drops, i can't see it hurting anything... :mug:

I would NOT give it to friends WITHOUT telling them... I'd bring it up, and if they are ok with it, so be it. In all honesty i don't think it would deter my friends... haha

Blood brothers ale?
 
LOL. If you leave your toothbrush in the bathroom (even covered), it has TONS of fecal matter on it.
 
jgourd said:
LOL. If you leave your toothbrush in the bathroom (even covered), it has TONS of fecal matter on it.
Click to expand...

First of all, my toothbrush weighs WAY LESS than 2000 pounds. So there's no way there could be even ONE ton of fecal matter on there! Besides mine is in a drawer, in the closet.

Back to the OP questions.

I would think there would be no issue.
I would totally drink it.
I would not tell anyone about it, unless it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

I bet I've got blood or some other thing in beers before. By the time it's time to give it away, I've completely forgotten about the incident. Are you gonna tell them "I let the ferment temp get a little too high"? Or "I didn't pitch quite enough yeast"? Or "I messed up the hop schedule"? NO

I think it's been mentioned earlier in the thread, but there's rat hairs and other nasty stuff in much of the food we eat. A little blood is just a drop in the bucket of grossness we ingest a PPM at a time.
 
I think you should tell people about the blood if they say they don't like it.

"Hmm I don't really like it, could you brew something good like Bud Light Lime?
"Could you watch your T-Cell count?"
"What?"
"There's AIDS blood in that beer"
"Are you serious?"
"Get the **** out of my house."
 
Funny people mentioned the chicha episode of brewmasters. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread. Dogfish told their customers about the spit conversion they did and a lot of them still drank it. I'd tell people, I think a lot of people would still drink it, of course some wouldn't. All the more for the brewers eh? Hopefully its delicious though, any off flavors and people will blame the blood and refuse to drink any more.
 
stageseven said:
Lol, I'm talking about the fact that the FDA allows a certain weight % of different non-food substances in foods. For instance, a % of rat feces are pretty common in grain-based foods. Just one example that I personally think is more "gross" than blood, but still determined to be relatively harmless. Insect parts, "other" animals in meats, etc are also pretty common.
Click to expand...

Here's a pretty good read on this topic -

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceCom...on/GuidanceDocuments/Sanitation/ucm056174.htm

Of interesting note is:
HOPS - Average of more than 2,500 aphids per 10 grams
RAISINS - 10 or more whole insects per 8 oz.

YUM!


Drink the bloody beer. (pun intended)
 
NegBiohazardSymbol.gif
Welcome to biohazard brewery, would you like a pint of the red ale???
 
A friend of mine gave me a beer that a guy at his work brewed. About half way through it, he tells me the guy says he puts a drop of his own blood in every batch he makes. Naturally I cringed a little and told him he might have mentioned that before I drank it. He said he didn't think the guy was serious, but I'm not so sure from the way he said it. I still finished the beer.

So after having it done to me against my will, I'd say yes, you should at least tell someone before giving it to them, just to let them make their own decision.
 
it will be fine.
i would drink it and pretend it never happend.
I would just laugh when people ask why i named it Twilight IPA.
 

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