Bottling Sanitation

[Wester_Brewery]

I have a question that may have an obvious answer but my curiosity got the best of me. If a beer has an alcohol content when ready for bottling, why is sanitation so important at this stage? I thought that the great thing about beer in early civilization was that it prohibited bacteria growth.

 

[jonmohno]

For some reason lacto and other various organisims can come in contact with your beer, how they survive alcohol is a mystery to me as well. I think it has to do with wild yeast lack of a co2 blanket and something on the surface must be vaunarable to invasion. I think warmer temps have something to do with it as well. Maybe the unfermentables have come in contact with wild yeast on the surface that the normal beer yeast couldnt? Ive bottled beers ive questioned infections and all of them have turned out good, except one maybe, but it could be that bottle of that one so im going to try another,but havent had gushers really from that altought the one foamed up and tasted very dry but isnt a saison suppose too,i used sugar as well? Hmm. As i carefully keep an eye on them they continue to cellar without bursting or foaming.IM more suspisious of higher temps and this infection activity.Moisture and heat moreso? I think so. I realize i take a risk when harvesting,but also look for red flags and signs.

 

[DubBrew]

There are still several wild yeasts and bacteria that are alcohol tolerant. They will not hurt a human and are often used in sour beers, but you do not want them to get in your beers in an uncontrolled way. For example if a wild yeast gets in it will ferment all of the residual sugars in the beer and you will get gushers when you open your beer.

Sanitization is still quite important at this stage.

 

[gypsyhead]

I think the overall answer relates to the strength of the alcohol. Vodka (at 40%) may prevent bacterial growth, but like the other guys said, certain strains of bacteria/yeast can stand various levels of alcohol. Your standard sacc strain may go up to 10-12%, but brett can get up to 12%, and wine yeasts go a bit further than that even. So the level of alcohol in beer is just a bit of a buffer depending on what kind of infection we're referring to.

 

[RodHack]

I had the same question. I read that you can use something like soda bottles (or plastic bottles that underwent pressure) provided that they are sanitized. (Source: alcohol fermentation)

So it's not really an issue of safety?