Re: Re: Mead and Wine

Now the microbiologist/homebrewer/mead maker/new dad/entrepreneur/and general well-meaning PITA enters the discussion... :) Hi Dave et. al., In a nutshell.... excellent reply to Carole from David Berg. You could dress up as a microbiologist tonight and even justify begging for some candy!! :P But watch out for those nasty cavity-causing bacteria that live in the oral regions....they do like the sugars found in Halloween goodies! It is very true that known disease-causing microorganisms are not found in finished beer. Even Belgian Lambic's, weird as they may be, are not beverages that would make one nervous about getting sick. Cleaning out your digestive system and taking care of any fecal constipation.... that may or may not occur..... ok, enough about that!! Beer....even "Spoiled" beer is an interesting beverage. It also is a growth substrate for a few organisms. Very few, actually. Dave's mention of low pH (acidity), alcohol content, and presence of hop flower chemicals is right on target for providing reasons that homebrew (or bad commercial beer, for that matter) is not a worrisome beverage for us consumers/producers. FYI, hop tea has been used as a beverage for a number of reasons besides providing hop character to beer. Including usage as a sleep aid (well, that is somewhat debatable...but go check out the history of hop usage), and as an aid for "bellyaches" (more plausible). Hop analysis has shown many different types of interesting organic compounds, some of which are very effective antimicrobials. OK, time to step away from the soapbox again.... Charlie P. is not necessarily the world's leading authority on microbes and their relationship to beer/mead/other quaffable stuff. But, he does have a basic grasp of what is important. So do people like Dr. Michael Lewis and Greg Noonan and, may God rest his soul, Dr. George Fix. What it comes down to is this, IMNSHOP..... clean your brew equipment as best you can.... use good water, good grain or malt extract, use good, fresh hops, and add lots of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast), and then sit back and observe one of nature's miracles take place....then relax, don't worry and drink your homebrew!! Just my more-than two cents worth..... :P Best wishes to all for a Hoppy and safe Halloween!! Steve Weiland ------ http://USFamily.Net/info - Unlimited Internet - From $8.99/mo! ------