How much dog hair is acceptable in a homebrew?

skunkape · Dec 31, 2023

fluketamer said:
im sorry for your loss . you know you gave him a great life and a better one than any he could have had. i am a cat guy . please dont hate. recently my boy got into trouble when he tried to digest an 18 inch piece of shoelace. hes my brew partner and i dont know how i would have brewed without him if it didnt go right.

I read somewhere that once a cat takes up a string or shoelace in this case, their rough tongue makes it impossible for it to go any direction but down the hatch. And also, trying to pull it back out the mouth once partially ingested or out the rear once partially expelled is a really bad idea. Passing it completely or surgical removal then become the only options. So your cat could end up spending some amount of time with a second tail of sorts. Was he able to work it out conventionally?

The closest situation I've seen involved the same Jack. On our daily outing, he took a dump and then began walking oddly. I noticed he had a dangling turd which turned out to be attached to one of my wife's long hairs he had somehow ingested. I'm always giving her a hard time about the way her hair ends up everywhere - usually when she complained about the dog hair. Now hers was turning up inside the dog. I imagine some of his was passing thru us as well.

Dland · Dec 31, 2023

PashMaddle said:
I just finished cleaning/prepping for my brew day and while doing so I introduced, by way of being a big dummy, a good bit of dog hair into my equipment which made a "quick" 30 minute clean turn into an hour and a half. We have dogs and hardwood/tile floors, dogs have fur, and it seems that no matter how often you sweep/vacuum said fur from said floor (pretty much daily), it returns...quickly ...and with a vengeance. Heaven forbid that a kid comes bouncing through the room and stirs up dust/dog hair.... then its airborne and that's even more fun.

Anyway... This got me to thinking about the fact that I can't be the only homebrewer with dogs and, by proxy, not the only homebrewer that has encountered dog hair in their equipment. So, is a dog hair going to ruin my brew? Any tips for keeping it out?

I doubt it's a big problem, just thought I would ask.

It is your beer, you are brewing it, presumably drinking it. Acceptable dog hair content is up to you, and don't let anyone tell you different.

Personally, I'd probably draw the line short of the whole dog, 'cause then it would be stew, and perhaps beyond the preview of this forum.

MaxStout · Dec 31, 2023

PCABrewing · Dec 31, 2023

PashMaddle said:
Anyway... This got me to thinking about the fact that I can't be the only homebrewer with dogs and, by proxy, not the only homebrewer that has encountered dog hair in their equipment. So, is a dog hair going to ruin my brew? Any tips for keeping it out?

I say use as much as is required to achieve the flavor profile you are striving for.

Clint Yeastwood · Dec 31, 2023

The big problem with dog hair as an adjunct is the lack of enzymes. Make sure your grain bill is up to the task of converting it to sugar. On the up side, it's a pretty good source of wild yeasts.

PashMaddle · Dec 31, 2023

fluketamer said:
im sorry for your loss . you know you gave him a great life and a better one than any he could have had. i am a cat guy . please dont hate. recently my boy got into trouble when he tried to digest an 18 inch piece of shoelace. hes my brew partner and i dont know how i would have brewed without him if it didnt go right.

I read the entire post earlier and laughed (reaction) but somehow I missed this part and only noticed when skunkape quoted it. Apologies, that’s not funny.

The cat doing the cat thing in the kettle is funny though. Glad your buddy is alright.

I also don’t subscribe to the “cat person/dog person” philosophy. I just like animals…. More than I like most people. So I won’t hate on cat people.