Quarantined in Wuhan - Name my beer

[monkeymath]

At the risk of henceforth being known as "the moron", I just have to ask:
Will my homebrew be safe to drink, even if I might (unknowingly) be infected?

Generally, there is hardly a way to know for sure that you are not currently infected. As there's not too much to do right now - we are now getting serious about "social distancing" here in Germany - it'd be nice to brew a beer or two, but I do not want to end up with Corona-in-a-bottle (not talking about the flavourless Mexican lager). From what I gather, the virus can survive for a couple of days on some surfaces (here's a nice table: https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext

So the fermenters and bottles should be fine after a while. As the virus generally needs a host to live, I can't really imagine that stuff thriving inside beer. But still I find it hard to tell if its lifespan would be longer or shorter than on a dry surface and by how much.

It seems to be debatable (https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-resource-center) whether it can be spread via food at all, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I do not want to start the next big wave when I whip out my homebrew in celebration of the international defeat of COVID-19.
Anyone got any insight on this? (And please don't give me the good-old "pathogens cannot survive in beer", I'd really appreciate a more specific response with some background and substance.)

Thank you in advance,
the moron

 

[Jayjay1976]

Hey 'moron', this is a very valid question! From what I've read here on HBT and elsewhere in the past week, viruses are apparently a bit of genetic material wrapped in a ball of fat. I would think that the alcoholic content would break down the protective fat layer and destroy any potential for infection. I'll wait for the experts to chime in.

Thanks for bringing it up @monkeymath

 

[isomerization]

Hey 'moron', this is a very valid question! From what I've read here on HBT and elsewhere in the past week, viruses are apparently a bit of genetic material wrapped in a ball of fat. I would think that the alcoholic content would break down the protective fat layer and destroy any potential for infection. I'll wait for the experts to chime in.

Thanks for bringing it up @monkeymath

Hopefully the homebrew isn’t ending up in your respiratory tract...

Biggest risk for transmission will not be in the beer, but between the people sharing the beer. Via liquid droplets (sneezing, cough, etc) is main method, but could come from touching contaminated surfaces (glass, bottle, etc) and then touching mouth, nose, eye, etc.

Preferred source:
https://arstechnica.com/science/202...e-ars-technica-guide-to-the-coronavirus/2/#h2

Edit: will also add that >60% abv is needed to effectively kill enveloped viruses (like coronaviruses).

 

[monkeymath]

Hopefully the homebrew isn’t ending up in your respiratory tract...

I don't intend to inhale it, but if licking strangers' hands is discouraged - and not only, as I had to learn the hard way, frowned upon -, then anything touching your mouth has a certain potential for transmission, and I don't see why homebrew would be any different, unless it was certain that the little balls of evil die in a timely manner.
And, as you said, the alcohol content is too low to act as a real disinfectant. *But* even a lower concentration might accelerate their decline... ?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Hey, I wonder how @FatDragon is doing? Curious how his beer turned out.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Seriously, anybody heard from @FatDragon ?
I'm really worried now.

 

[Jag75]

Seriously, anybody heard from @FatDragon ?
I'm really worried now.

Man I hope hes good. Maybe hes just been super busy since their quarantine is over

 

[FatDragon]

Over is a bit of an overstatement - the lockdown was officially lifted, while many of the restrictions remained in place. My community never loosened them much at all, and as of a few days ago, many communities that did loosen up significantly are already tightening back up. Effectively, unless you've got to be out for work (which, to be fair, a great many people are going to work like normal now), you can go out once a day for no more than two hours, only if you have a clean bill of health. As a foreigner, it's a lot more work to get that clean bill of health for me than it is for most people here. I, my kids, and my wife have not left the community since late January, though my wife is considering an outing in the next few days if we can get my clean bill of health sorted out.

The beer is alright - the hops profile is pretty muted by now because I don't have the time or equipment to do hoppy beers properly these days. I was pleased with the low mash temp - it allowed the low-attenuating yeast to bring the beer fairly dry. I bought some hops and yeast a few days ago so I'll be doing another brew soonish - this time with Belle Saison because my fermentation chamber is indefinitely tied up to serve as a deep freezer.

That's about all. I hope all of you are doing well and drinking Anything But Corona!

 

[Psyberd]

how about a good bitter IPA with a touch of cummin.. named "5 Chinese, Bitter Meat Place"

五汉-苦肉那 IPA
WuHan - KuRuoNa IPA

I'm in Henan, Zhengzhou. not so far away