TastySalmon
Well-Known Member
After tonight's browsing of threads, I realized something: People talk an awful lot about getting beer infected. It's not just newbies doing it, but people who I perceive as being experienced. It's not that it's just subtly mentioned every now and then, but it's brought up all the time.
So, I got to ask -- how many times has a fermenter of yours actually been infected with bacteria? The reason I ask is because in the 250+ batches of beer I've made, I've never gotten a bacterial infection before. I don't go overboard with sterilizing either. Fermenters get a quick splash of iodophor and a rinse. Airlocks get a quick boil. Hoses get a rinse and every now and then I give them an iodophor bath.
Is it unfounded paranoia for many people, or is it actually based on experience? Am I just lucky? I will admit that last winter a bottle of mine got some sort of a bug. It developed a haze while carbonating and smelled a little off.
So, I got to ask -- how many times has a fermenter of yours actually been infected with bacteria? The reason I ask is because in the 250+ batches of beer I've made, I've never gotten a bacterial infection before. I don't go overboard with sterilizing either. Fermenters get a quick splash of iodophor and a rinse. Airlocks get a quick boil. Hoses get a rinse and every now and then I give them an iodophor bath.
Is it unfounded paranoia for many people, or is it actually based on experience? Am I just lucky? I will admit that last winter a bottle of mine got some sort of a bug. It developed a haze while carbonating and smelled a little off.