# home brew - fermenting question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583 "2003-06-26T18:31:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583/21 "2003-06-27T17:39:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > It takes 70% alcohol (i.e., your standard rubbing alcohol) to kill _e coli._ Standard homebrewing sanitizers (One Step) don’t kill it. Only heat or things that can hurt people can kill _e coli._ Thanks for the Straight Dope on this, **Ethilrist**. I’ve kinda been wondering every since I first heard this little factoid. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583/22 "2003-06-27T17:39:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mjcocat \* > **I was under the impression the ecoli mainly lives in the intestines of cattle and in sewage. My source of berries is a mulberry tree in my own backyard. We are incorporated and have city sewers (no septic fields or anything), and we have no farms remotely close to us. I realize ecoli is a danger and isn’t something to be taken lightly, but does my current situation seem risky?** Are you kidding? The human colon is a veritable e. coli incubator, and the whole area between your own waist and mid-thigh is invested with it right now; [just ask Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_220.html). How did you think it got into sewage in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583/23 "2003-06-27T19:06:47Z")
Yes, but ingesting your OWN e. coli is not a health risk. Ingesting a strain of e. coli that your body isn’t used to IS a health risk. E. coli is called that because it lives in your colon. The guys who live in your own colon are normal and healthy, you’d get sick if they all died. So if you ate food contaminated with your own feces all you’d be doing is giving yourself whatever you already had. But if you ingested MY feces, I might have a strain of e. coli that would make you sick, even though I’m used to it. Or we could have pretty much the same kind, and you’d be fine. Anyway, berries picked off a bush, that haven’t touched the ground are perfectly safe to eat and pose zero risk of e. coli contamination. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583/24 "2003-06-27T22:21:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lemur866 \* > \*\*Yes, but ingesting your OWN e. coli is not a health risk. \*\* Remind me not to drink the homebrew at your house. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583/25 "2003-06-28T01:45:28Z")
When I was a student, I used to pipette E. coli without a second thought. Yes, there are pathological strains, but they are exceedingly rare. As for strains that are not yours, well that could cause turista, but not likely from the local strains. But there are a lot of molds and stuff that I wouldn’t recommend. Now standard baker’s yeast will ferment things just fine. Even strict Muslim countries must have baker’s yeast, no? If not then there is nothing to be done. I used to buy gallon bottles of apple cider and add a couple tabelspoons of yeast, along with some sugar to increase the proof. I also topped it up to keep out air and added a cotton stopper that allowed the CO2 gas to escape and put the cap on loose. Put the bottle by a radiator and 48 or 72 hours later you had some pretty decent cider. I never used anything but bread yeast since I had no other source where I was, [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-brew-fermenting-question/184583.md?page=1)