Infected Commercial Beer?

[seravitae]

Just curious, how many/often have you found a commercially infected beer?

I'm still a beer-flavour noob but even my gf (even more of a beer-noob) noticed a distinctly odd cider flavour in some swill we drank over the weekend. Pretty sure it was contamm'd. Are contams in a commercial beer a common event (and my tongue is just noticing more now that i'm taking an active appreciation in flavours) or did I just get a bad brew?

 

[bum]

I've never had in infected megabrew but I get gusher infected micro/craft brewery beers all the time. I'd go so far as to suggest maybe one in ten. Fifteen tops.

(Yeah, I know, I know. But Uncle Dan's and Worst Choice is about all I've got out here.)

 

[Thunderlips]

Grand Ridge might get a mention here.
The last few I've had have been ok though. Thoroughly delicious actually.

 

[avaneyk]

I've had bad commercial beer on tap before - I was pretty sure at the time that it was the pub and not the brewery that was at fault though... Had a micro-brew with massive amounts of DMS once (sweetcorn taste and smell) but never had an infected miro-brew....not trying to disagree with Bum here though - just my own experience.

 

[Effect]

I had a blue tounge ginger beer that tasted infected........

oh wait...it was meant to taste like that...

 

[jonocarroll]

I've recently tried a couple of beers from a micro that I was yet to sample... I must say, I was greatly disappointed. The beers I tried (and later retried hoping they were one-offs) were very poor, to the extent of having some sort of overpowering flaw. I don't know what it was, but it certainly detracted from the beer.

Can't say I recall ever having an infected megaswill, but I'd be pretty surprised to find a mainstream one. From a bottle that is - I'd first blame a poorly maintained tap if it was a draught beer.

 

[avaneyk]

I've recently tried a couple of beers from a micro that I was yet to sample... I must say, I was greatly disappointed. The beers I tried (and later retried hoping they were one-offs) were very poor, to the extent of having some sort of overpowering flaw. I don't know what it was, but it certainly detracted from the beer.

Can't say I recall ever having an infected megaswill, but I'd be pretty surprised to find a mainstream one. From a bottle that is - I'd first blame a poorly maintained tap if it was a draught beer.

Yeah, I've been severely disappointed with micro-brews before, but I've also been very impressed - so far the good ones are more common than the average\bad ones.

 

[Cube]

Not many commercial beers. Had four in all 30 odd years and each one ( of the beers brewers ) I contacted they all came out and inspected the bottle/beer. They took away the infected **** and always left me with a case of good stuff. Good stuff is up to the imagination.

 

[bum]

not trying to disagree with Bum here though - just my own experience.

Not at all. There are degrees of infection (in my book) and gusher is about the lowest. A common flavour but still drinkable(ish, depending). Proper infected? I've never had in a commercial beer of any description with an infection that is process related - just handling related. If that makes sense.

 

[Fourstar]

Ask the guys doing the BJCP course in melbourne, 2 different STYLES from redoak. A vienna and a Bock both had an acetic acid infection. One (to me) was more lactic like. Bt where heavily infected. I hope they sorted their **** out as i wouldnt want it again, unless i planned to cellar it without a label and enter it into a comp