Infection/Quality Problems: what we should know

Yeah, but how big is the beer atom?

Does Yahoo Serious post on BA?

Cheers!

 

I'm trying to drink another Hofbrau. Ok, it's a bit skunky. I was told it was a new arrival last week, ok, so how do I know this is true and not a last years left over? It's close to 50 degrees not colder like I prefer. I'm pouring it out it just sucks.

 

MillerCoors has brands that are not pasteurized. They use either ceramic and fiber (no asbestos) filters that remove yeast (and I guess anything else real small that might be in there). Don't know if this applies to all the beers they make. Ironically, it was Coors that helped Widmer, Bridgeport and others repeal the pasteurization regs in Oregon (mid 80's I think) so they could sell beer there. I guess that was a bygone era when the industry worked together.

 

You forgot the !

 

Dale, what was the color of the bottle of beer?

Cheers!

 

It's green which isn't necessarily a red flag, but it's a warning. But I can't find any kind of date or code, could it be a 2016 beer dumped by the distributor? It's only been on the bottom shelf here under a week. I poured them all out they just keep getting worse fairly quickly. The first was off a bit but still ok, could be many things, but the one I popped today I just poured it out.

 

I just got back doing some food shopping and I noted that in the beer store (within the supermarket) they had Hofbrau on the shelf. Those bottles were brown. Maybe they are also importing with green bottle but frankly I doubt it.

I am not aware whether Hofbrau dates their beers. You are reporting there were no dates on your green bottle so it seems that Hofrau refuses to provide this information.

You might want to give Hofbrau another chance if you see them in brown bottles? I had one draft pint of Hofbrau last year and I was not a fan of that beer. I have never had it in bottles (because they were green). Let me know what you think of Hofbrau in brown bottles if you do decide to try it.

Cheers!

 

Maybe I got slipped a Mickey, I can't believe there's different colored bottles. I'd bet the distro guy dumped some 2016 on him.

Anyone else confirm 2017 are brown bottles and not green?

 

I sent the retailer a message he's going to check on it tomorrow. I can't believe they're using different bottles in the same year that would make no sense at all.

 

Dale, I agree 100% with you here. I reckon that anybody buying green Hofbrau Oktoberfest beers are drinking leftovers from prior year(s).

Permit me to get on my soapbox now: this is one more reason to not purchase beers from breweries that do not date their beers. For the past few years I would purchase Ayinger Oktoberfest beers despite the fact they do not date their beers. This year I will not be buying any Ayinger beers since they refuse to date their beers.

Cheers!

 

I specifically asked the guy about delivery he said they were new for that week. So as a best guess if they bottled in May or so, I figured it was 3 months old. 15 not so good, but surprisingly they were a bit different within the 6 , bottle one was ok, not great but no real flags just an ok beer. Beer 2 - I sniffed the bottle and it was off a bit, but on pour seemed ok enough, still not great but no red flags, today's beer sucked ass, took a few sips and poured it. Don't know, not a catastrophe by any means, but if the distribution guy is off he's going to be embarrassed and maybe in trouble. This is why nc brewers are fighting a 3 tier system, it only serves the distributor.

 

Well, for the retailer it was 'new' in that they received the beer this week. Unless the bottles are dated it is a guessing game for the retailer. Somebody at the distributor may know the age of the beer but in any bureaucracy it fairly easy to lose track of things. Last fall there were leftovers which should have been disposed of but for an imported beer how does this happen? Does Hofbrau take measures to dispose of old beer? Is there a Hofrbau Sales Rep who visits distributors to ensure that unsold seasonal beers are disposed of properly and retailer are compensated accordingly? It is always easy/simple to blame the distributors but what is the brewery doing to ensure that old beer is not sold?

Permit me to provide an example of a brewery that does take active measures to ensure that old beer is not sold: Anheuser-Busch. BAs love to flame AB but they will remove old beer from retailers shelves and distributors while other breweries could care less.

Dale, at the end of the day it is your choice to who you want to cast aspersions.

Cheers!

 

I'm thinking a reputable sales guy/ distributor wouldn't be in that position to begin with. He should know his business. It's certinly not a Hofbrau issue, maybe their US Importer? But certinly at that critical 2nd step in the loop this shouldn't happen. Your right coming a 360 to dating the bottles so there's no mistakes or intentional mistakes to dump old beer.

 

Deschutes will get the distributor to remove old product, if you let them know aboot it.

 

MillerCoors does both - pasteurization and microfilter/sterile fill.
MillerCoors HOW WE BREW-PACKAGING:

Not mentioned on their site if they flash-pastuerize domestic kegs (it's usually assumed most large imported brand draught is flash-pasteurized) - AB apparently has started to FP some of their kegged beers in the US.

MillerCoors brews the beer that is the classic example of a beer that is available in both packaged forms- Miller High Life and Miller Genuine Draft start out as the same recipe beer, only the treatment of the packaged canned/bottled beer is different - pasteurized or their so-called Cold Filtered (microfiltered/sterile fill) process.

Coors did much of the research on the latter process (in conjunction with their work on the aluminum beer beer, which could be sterilized) in the late 1950s, but others also contributed to the process - including August Haffenreffer (of Private Stock Malt Liquor fame) who went to work for filter maker Millipore, after his brewery's brands was sold to his cousins' Narragansett Brewing Co. The Millipore filter was the one used by many US breweries during the first "real draft beer in a can" era in the 1960s.

Coors "Enzinger" filters being installed in the 1980s:
(hey, WTF! That guy with the gloves should also have a hairnet or hat on!)

 

You're posting on an infection thread, and mentioning skunking and old beer. Three separate issues. Doubtful it's skunked unless someone left it sitting in the sun for a while. Doesn't sound infected. If it's not consistent bottle to bottle in the same pack then not an age issue. Write it off to an unidentified off taste, and move on.

 

In addition to the link you posted here's a bit about training pro sensory tasting panelists.

http://www.flavoractiv.com/products/butyric-beer-flavour-standards/

The difference between allowable thresholds for beer and the range of sensory tasting thresholds is of interest. As @JackHorzempa points out you may be more sensitive to its presence that many. However, combining that with the fact you are picking it up only in the so-called NEIPA beers suggests a higher level of that potential brewing flaw in NEIPAS than is typically found and/or allowed in other beer styles. This brings to mind the possibility of something going on with the wort that other Brewers typically try to avoid or pay closer attention to controlling for when brewing.

 

I have definitely tasted it in a few NEIPA's. Most recently in a couple double dry hopped singlecut beers. Almost like an aged Parmesan/Romano cheese flavor. Really off putting.

 

Do you recall if the NEIPAs you found it in were all dry hopped? Were the double dry hopped Singlecut beers NEIPAs or some other style?

 

The cheese reference makes me think the hops were old, and you were smelling isovoleric acid. Old hops smell cheeses.