Infected Beers

Try an '09 Abyss

It smells off when you pop the cap and it looks very different in a pour, it sour and bubbly on the palate and the beer will definitely not fit the style. It's one of those things you kind of have to experience.

 

Sometimes you can pick it out by the body as well. If it is suppose to be a more maltier beer, and is light with a funky finish, that can be cause of infection as well.

 

I had a Chocarrubica by Grado Plato infected.

First is the way that it bubbles over extremely more then usual. The second was the mouth feel. Since I have had it on tap before, I knew what to expect. The smell was sour like and with a hint of vinegar. This was also in the taste. I had drank a little bit and even with the amount consume, I felt very funky in the head!

 

Bayhawk Chocolate Porter- I knew it was infected after the first sip, it ruined the taste of the next three beers.
Is that company still in business? a waste of a brewing system if they are.

 

Sometimes an infection can improve a beer. I had an infected GI Matilda and it actually tasted better infected than not. Go figure.

 

I've had two infected beers, a bomber of Matilda and a bomber of New Holland Charkoota Rye. Both times they tasted very much of wild yeast - a uniform horseblanket taste with a bit of tartness, with none of the original or intended flavors present.

 

First off, check it for the style that it is and check the style description on BA. If it's sour and the style is not known to be offering sour qualities, it's probably infected. But not always. New Glarus, as one example, put out an Old English Porter that surprised me with its sourness but they did that on purpose. Lots of BAs, I see, dug it.

 

Environmental bacteria or wild yeast infect a beer. It usually happens in the brewing process, when such bacteria or yeast either find their way into the beer during fermentation or were present in the equipment from intentional use, and stayed because of improper cleaning. It is not dangerous to drink - in fact, many brewers use such wild bacteria and yeast to intentionally add infected flavors, depending on the style.

 

Short answer: critters, lack of sanitation typically, and no.

 

I've had the pleasure of tasting an infected beer only one time: Oakshire Hellshire II (confirmed infected by the brewery). It had a slightly sour, winelike taste that was just wrong for an imperial stout. It was not too bad @ cellar temp, but by the time it had warmed up a bit ended up going down the drain. You can read these reviews to get a better idea what the experience is like: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16068/74254

I don't know if this is the only kind of infection possible for beer, but I believe Hellshire II was infected with Lactobacillus. The threads about it are gone, part of the old forum.

 

I had one, and really enjoyed it actually. Carolina Brewery Santa's Secret. Had it at the brewery, and i can only describe it is a sour, acidic, almost vinegary taste. It didnt feel overly sour, just had that lactic sourness.

 

Some of the 2007 vintage pannepots that shelton brothers imported were infected. Mmmmmm, sour quad....

 

ya know, im the king of off-topic posts!

 

I have an 09 Abyss and I'm praying that its the half that isnt infected.