Infected Beers

Well, obviously you shake a magic 8-ball and it tells you

 

I'm not even entirely sure what the infection ratio is but the guy I got it from had a whole case and said he hasnt had an infected one yet. I normally would think this would be a standard used car salesman pitch pre-trade however he did tell a few other people the same thing just in conversation and not around me... So I feel like that increases my chances a little.

 

I had a infected Saint Somewhere. Tasted like rubbing alcohol.

 

I had an infected Allagash Triple. It was a complete booze bomb, tasted like a triple loaded with cheap vodka.

 

Infected beers can be identified by smell and taste (a stout that is sour and funky). You can also get some visual cues with the level of carbonation and the head when you pour it.

 

There are all sorts of infections. Sour is one, but hardly the only. Here's a pretty good intro read:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html

Some are true "infections", others are just "mistakes".

Honestly, the easiest way to try them is through homebrewing. Odds are you'll F up enough batches to start to get a feel for common beer problems. That's mostly how I've learned. Commercial infections are rather rare, and generally notorious when they happen.

 

The infected beer will taste off, like, clearly not taste/smell correct. You will know. Sometimes the infected beer will have more of a brett character and other times it will just be off. Gushers are a clear sign that something is going on.

 

Lactic character is the most common offender. Think of your favorite beer spiked with sour milk. Pediococus tends to leave a very nasty Diacetyl behind that is like rancid butter. There are many other bugs that can spoil beer, cause gushing, or even burst bottles. I judged many commercial beer competitions and you run into all sorts things.

Sort of on the same topic is oxidized beer. This is more common and can stem from oxygen uptake during filtration, or poor packaging during bottling or canning. It's like licking a cardboard box.

 

Ive had a few infected beers. Charleywine from Mammoth comes to mind. It was an old ale that went sour. I had an infected moo-hoo that was infected and that one was thin and pure alcohol. Each beer is different.

Cheers!

 

A ton of people did when the batch first came out, I know they did some refunds, my buddy got a voucher to basically buy 2 2010s for his 2 09s all he did was mail the receipt... and he was able to keep the 1 09 he hadn't opened, though sadly it was also infected.

 

Ya... I got one sitting in my fridge. Mammoth actually owned the mistake, and labeled them with upside-down labels and sold them as Charleywine Sour. How bad was/is it?

 

I enjoyed it actually. Had it at a tasting and me and UCLABrewN84 reviewed it. Pretty close in thought.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4051/77681

 

I am happy to trade you an infected Chocolate Ale if you want to send me an non-infected beer in return! No better way to learn what an infected beer tastes like than by trying one yourself. 2 King Henry's should be able to pry that one away from me.

 

I was at the sour bitch release, and Laffler was there drinking with everyone. He opened up a Matilda, and knew it was infected as soon as he opened it. Drian poured right in front of me saying "I dont want my name assosciated with this". 1) It was hilarious, and 2) I swear he didnt even smell it after he opened it, it was as if the burst of co2 from the initial open was enough for him, I was stunned.

 

Was the '09 KtG infected or did they brew it with sauerkraut?

 

Completely off topic but your avatar is awesome!

 

very cool. I actually discussed this beer with a MBC employee when I was up there a few weeks ago. He admitted that it was indeed a mistake, albeit not a tragic one. They debated whether to dump the batch, bottle it, or bottle it with a "different" label. Obviously, they chose option 3 and released it as the "Sour" version.

 

I think they made the right choice. It was a fairly tasty beer. I would like to try the actual old ale. Should be a good beer.

Cheers!

 

i really liked it. a touch thin, but a great offerring from MBC