Contamination

[ralfeg7]

Wow, what i find a lot on this site is worries about contamination, people worried about hard capping and such. Come on people have been making beer for thousands of years, and only in the last 2 centuries did people start caring about sanitation. As for me i check my for the first few days to make sure it starts. This thread is dedicated to those who arent anal about sanitation, espicially those who try to get natural yeast into their brews. Woot!

 

[z987k]

A lot of us like consistency, and don't like brett or acetobacter.

 

[TexLaw]

only in the last 2 centuries did people start caring about sanitation.

That's because we've only understood anything about germ theory for the last 150 years or so. It's not that no one cared, as much as no one knew. Beer might have tasted like ka-ka, but no one knew why. Once Lister, Pasteur, and their pals came along, I understand quality and consistency went through the roof compared to the older days.

I agree that too many new brewers get in a big twist about contamination far too easily. They need to calm down. However, they should not relax about adequate sanitation. Every brewer should understand sanitation and be able to practice it properly, even if that brewer chooses not to practice it at all.

Now, if you want to open your wort up and let Mother Nature have her way with it, go nuts! I applaud your effort! If you enjoy that beer, so much the better! Just stop short of giving us sanitizing brewers any grief.


TL

 

[discgolfin]

Natural yeast is fine if that is what you want. I personally do not like a sour or medicnal tasting pale ale. I agree most new brewers look at the clumpy crap on the top of the beer and freak out..I also think that good sanitation is a must and should be burned into all new brewers brains..does it take a lot to really contaminate a beer to be undrinkable..sure

but I say why take that chance..I will take the extra care and sanitizer to avoid this..with some of the good sanitizers out there, it really is an easy and important part of brewing. IMO


Jay

 

[hopsalot]

+1 on texlaw, history is in plce to learn from I love my futuristic brew.

 

[HBDrinker008]

Sanitation is necessary but all of the "is my beer ruined what is this stuff in my carboy" worries I think are not warranted. RDWHAHB