Why sanitize bottling equipment?

[qmax]

My question has to do with general need of sanitation when bottling a sour.

I got a 19 month sour on roselare.
OG 1.065

I mean it's a sour and it already fermented down ALL available sugars.

The couple gravity points added by priming sugar shouldn't make a taste difference when carbed by both roselare bugs and a possible side contamination from unsanitized bottling equipment, right? Plus it's already at 8.6% ABV.

It's not like I may have bottle bombs when there is no sugar left to ferment either.

The thing is I don't want to use my regular siphon hose with this. I have a dirty contaminated one and I think it won't hurt to use it with this beer. Also it's a pain to sanitize bottles, and I'd love to avoid it if possible

Would you people still insist on proper sanitation despite the reasoning I wrote above?

 

[MizzouFermentationScience]

My general brewing philosophy is "screw sanitation." I don't mind getting funk in my "clean" beers and it would enhance a lambic. Your logic seems sound, worst case scenario is that Brett ferments some of your priming sugar... Dekkera is not the most efficient fermentor so if there is no sach present (an impossibility I think) you may not get good carbonation/it takes a long time. That beer is dirtier than any bottling equipment, and unless you sterile filter there is nothing more dangerous in your equipment than the beer itself. Quick tip though, high heat cycle in a dishwasher is a good "sanitizing" for beer bottles, takes away some of the PITA.

 

[WI_Wino]

My opinion, why risk a beer you have spent 19 months on? There are lots of bugs out there that make beer nasty. Sanitizing bottles takes what, 20 minutes? And tubing is dirt cheap.

 

[qmax]

My general brewing philosophy is "screw sanitation." I don't mind getting funk in my "clean" beers and it would enhance a lambic. Your logic seems sound, worst case scenario is that Brett ferments some of your priming sugar... Dekkera is not the most efficient fermentor so if there is no sach present (an impossibility I think) you may not get good carbonation/it takes a long time. That beer is dirtier than any bottling equipment, and unless you sterile filter there is nothing more dangerous in your equipment than the beer itself. Quick tip though, high heat cycle in a dishwasher is a good "sanitizing" for beer bottles, takes away some of the PITA.

My beer took 19 months. I don't mind waiting a few more for it to carb up.
I wonder how long it actually takes for brett to carb up in practice.
I've got some plastic bottles and no dishwasher but thanks

 

[burninator]

I still sanitize everything touching my sour and mixed culture beers. There are a lot of organisms out there that can get into a beer, and not all of them need sugar to produce unwanted flavors. Brett, itself, doesn't actually need sugar to produce all kinds of flavors and aromas.

 

[tagz]

+1 to sanitize. It would be a bummer to spend all that time making a beer just to have it taste like bile. Sanitizing really isnt that much effort.

 

[secondbase]

Just because your sour contains bugs that would be considered contaminates in clean beer brewing does not mean that the contaminated tubing will be okay to use. Not all bugs produce positive flavor attributes. I would sanitize, and I would not use the old tubing. What I like to do is pass down my equipment from clean to sour. Get new tubing for your clean beers. In my opinion, the risk is really not worth the little extra effort.

 

[Sourz4life]

I still sanitize everything regardless if I'm brewing sours, I also have a whole set of equipment for just sours. Reason being that your chances may be low on any issues and usually lower on sour beers thanks to the PH levels and other cultures dominating but why chance getting something that could possibly live in that environment and cause adverse off flavors.

 

[IslandLizard]

If your bottles are dusty/dirty on the inside, they definitely need to be washed with a detergent and for best results, brushed with a bottle brush. If they are already clean, then a simple sanitizer rinse should suffice, with ample contact time. Mold spores and bugs are everywhere. It's really a small investment of your time compared to the patience it took to create a beautiful beer. Be clean!

Same for your racking equipment.