Infection in barrel aged beers

Anything can be infected. I've had a number of non barrel aged beers over the years that were infected as well. Barrels add an extra level of risk, but there's risk anytime there isn't enough attention paid to sanitation.

 

Most barrel aged stouts are locally distributed. Large brewers go extra lengths to prevent this, however, we experienced tragedy this year.

What I'm saying is that don't be surprised if local brewers fudge up a barrel aged beer. Because they will. And they'll sell it to you as some "miracle son."

 

Here's a recent post by @bulletrain76 that plays into the pitfalls of barrel aging going forward:

See here for thread

 

Ya mean like this one?
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29419/209664/
"Notes / Commercial Description:
The 1st in our "Accidentally on Purpose" series, Sur Lie is a sour ale aged in Oak on Sevval Blance Lees and then bottle-conditioned."
May have been a mistake but it is delicious.

 

I can personally attest that it need not be barrel aged to infect. Last year I had an infected milk stout - took 24 hours to get the taste out of my mouth. There may be more opportunity for a barrel aged beer to be infected due to increased handling.

 

Is diacetyl considered an infection or just an off-flavor?

 

It an off-flavor because it can be cleaned up. If it doesn't clean up with conditioning time, then you've got a brewer's error, but I wouldn't consider it as an infection.

 

Hair of the Dog had some gushers...

It's possible to have bacterial spoilage in any beer. It wouldn't surprise me if many are "infected" but don't have enough residual sugar to actually produce results of spoilage.

Sure a barleywine can be infected, same as any beer.

When a lower gravity stout is past it's prime, it can taste bad and give impressions of bacterial infection. Roasted bitter malts and oxidization, can sometimes taste rancid.

 

Went a couple years without any infected bottles, but I've had three in the last couple months. Bean Gene and Blue Gene from Revolution and then, just last night, So Happens It's Tuesday from The Bruery. I'm assuming they were all lacto contaminated. Not too happy, especially after learning my bottle of Clown Shoes Archdruid is probably bad too.

 

Diacetyl can be the result of a Pediococcus infection, but it can be cleaned up by Brett over time. It can also be from a clean fermentation that wasn't given enough time to finish, or not enough/unhealthy yeast.

 

My bottle of Archdruid was bad as well, but the guys from Clown Shoes are great. If you weren't aware, you can send the label into them. About a month after sending it in, I got a box delivered containing two snifters, some coasters, some stickers, a keychain, and an apology letter. It was above and beyond for the $11 I spent on the bottle...

 

Here's another Oops moment that turned out not that bad: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/52140/

Still have a couple of these in the old cellar. Might have to pull one out and see how its aged.