Some Questions About Infected Beer

I've never read that infected beer is toxic, so I think that's still true.

I've never tried to age an infected beer that I knew was infected. I've had one incident of a cellar beer being infected when I finally opened it, so I dumped it. I don't recall its age, but I've never held any beer beyond 6-7 years, never 10 like yours.

I doubt that an infected beer would improve with age, but if it's something from a brewing process 'mistake' like diacetyl or DMS, I think there is a chance for improvement with age.

It's been so long ago that I had an infected commercially-brewed beer that I don't recall its name. I had one homebrewed beer that was infected, a beer that was called Nukie Brown Ale that I renamed Nuclear Brown because of the violent foaming when I opened the first bottle. I had given a few 6-packs of that one to family and friends before I made the infection discovery, so I had to contact everyone to have them dump it.

 

I’ve either become particularly sensitive to infected beers, or have had a recent string of bad luck. Typically, in those instances I notice the off aroma and flavor once the beer warms. But the absolute worst infected beer I’ve ever tried was on my very first visit to the Grand Rapids Hopcat, maybe 13-14 years ago. They poured one of their house beers, possibly a sour, and it was NASTY. Like drinking liquid vomit. Hard pass. But also what an introduction to infected beer.

 

Bought a 4 pack of an imperial porter from a local brewery. Tried two cans, heavily infected. Kept two of the cans for 5-6 years before I popped another last year, still terrible. One to go.

 

From what I understand, there's nothing that can kill you/hurt you bacteria-wise that can survive in a good/infected beer by the nature of it being alcoholic. Ph and hops don't help either. Taste-wise, yes, it will suck, but it cannot hurt you. I assume if the alcohol goes away, all bets are off.

 

Have an enemy shotgun it?

 

I applaud your dedication to science, especially given your consumption limitations.

I'd say that there's a practical maximum density of any given off flavor producing chemical. So, bacterial populations have likely changed and degradation could have created new and more subjectively disgusting flavors. But really, you've probably experienced the peak levels of the nasty flavors you found early on.

 

What was that Weyerbacher beer that was infected and they kept trying to make it better by aging and putting it in a barrel. I don’t think they ever acknowledged it was bad. The name was something like drool I think .

Enjoy

 

I learned there can be nothing toxic in beer, even infected beer. Is this still true ten years later? Nothing can be toxic in beer, still the truth. Stuff like yeast and brett already have the colony in the beer (assuming not pasteurized of course) But even then, e coli/salmonella does not like lower pH as described here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51721042_Growth_and_Survival_of_Foodborne_Pathogens_in_Beer#:~:text=The pathogens E.,held at 4°C.

Also I found a person quoting an experiment about introducing a new bad colony at HBT:

Have you ever consumed a beer that was infected at time of purchase, and then aged for ten years (or more)? No but it would be a bit of a fallacy if I did come to think of it. Given that most infections are a rare random occurrence(at least for me), there is the possibility you'd be saving a perfectly good beer that whole time. I did have a 15 year old Avery Mephistopheles last month that was glorious though, so old beer does hold up in ABV cases for sure.

Is there a chance this beer will taste better/less disgusting than when it was "fresh"? Depends on the circumstances, like sours and stuff can take a while to find a peak if they are on purpose. But generally I would say no, aging/melanoidin browning reactions will make the beer taste heavier/sweeter and hop oils degrading the balance of the fresh beer "intent" as it were. However if the sweetness and infected lacto acidity meet in the center of non-cloying, it might be an outlier.

What was the worst tasting infected beer you ever tried? Thing that sticks out most in my mind is an infected Mikkeller Jackie Brown in 2012. Likely a shelf turd I picked up just to tick when I moved to MI. The whole beer tasted like brettanomyces fruits/apples and barely any malts. Also way over carbed, but that's a given in most cases(though I HAVE had uninfected over carbonated cans though, those damn slushy beers and etc with residual sugar at packaging). Also I did get butyric acid aka sick diaper in a Prairie sour once. That will wake you up I still finished the review though.

 

A pH of <4.6 inhibits the Botulism bacteria. This is why lactic fermented foods are safe. Beer yeast will price enough organic acid to drop the pH below 4.6.

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/comm...-acid foods are the,, fish, and other seafood.

 

It was pretty much just as bad. Sorry, not real skilled at quantifying awful.

 

Mine was 2009 The Abyss. I bought a case and I tried to drink the first bottle but I couldn't. I threw a few bottles away and then I decided to try mixing it with a good, strongly flavoured IPA. I drank the rest of the bottles as a mix and somewhat "reimbursed" my purchase of a case of infected beer.

 

Happened with a later batch or two of Perkuno's Hammer, a great beer rendered undrinkable.
Last case Lori bought went south after a bit.

 

Idiot's Drool, maybe the worst beer I ever tried.

 

Victim of the 2009 Abyss here as well & just tried the last dusty bottle within the last year or so. Still a crime against the palate - no improvement.