The risk of infection is higher in the spring, especially when your brewing partner is a Golden Retriever that is shedding. I initially banished him from the brew area yesterday, but his whimpering at the top of the stairs got me to change my mind. I figure any dog hair that gets in the beer pre-boil will be disinfected anyway. But I did give him the boot post-boil though. Maybe I should name this batch "Essence of Golden Retriever Hefeweizen".