# WTF just came out of my beer can? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693 "2012-11-21T06:19:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/1 "2012-11-21T06:19:56Z")
52 years old, drinking age was 18 for me, parents let me drink a bit before that, well [over 500](http://www.ratebeer.com/user/4000/ratings/1/1/) beers tried world wide. So spare me the education you want to give. Chances are I’ve spilled more brew than you’ve ever drank. But [WTF?](https://picasaweb.google.com/117700629578068464829/November202012#5813141569410771346). This is from a macro, [Point special Lager](http://www.liquidlog.com/img/itemphotos/originals/special_top.png) to be exact. Usually don’t drink it but a store had it on sale 4 pint cans for $1.89 so I couldn’t resit the cheap buzz. At the end of the can pour I got what looks like tobacco from an unlit cigarette. If this were a specialty or micro brew I’d assume it was some grain that didn’t get boiled away or something. But crud like this is unheard of from a macro. Any guesses?😕 ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/2 "2012-11-21T06:53:40Z")
The sediment evident at the bottom of the bottle in certain brands of Blue Point Brewing is just a little yeast that we use for “bottle conditioning” which has settled to the bottom of the brew. Typically yeast falls flat to the bottom of the bottle when cold, but sometimes when the bottle is agitated or stored sideways, the yeast flocculates in what looks like drops of pancake batter. As the Blue Point beer is poured, the yeast will re-suspend giving off a slightly cloudy appearance. The yeast will not adversely affect the flavor or texture of the beer. [http://www.bluepointbrewing.com/bpbc/about/faq/#faq605](http://www.bluepointbrewing.com/bpbc/about/faq/#faq605) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/3 "2012-11-21T07:06:18Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > The sediment evident at the bottom of the bottle in certain brands of Blue Point Brewing is just a little yeast that we use for “bottle conditioning” which has settled to the bottom of the brew. Typically yeast falls flat to the bottom of the bottle when cold, but sometimes when the bottle is agitated or stored sideways, the yeast flocculates in what looks like drops of pancake batter. As the Blue Point beer is poured, the yeast will re-suspend giving off a slightly cloudy appearance. The yeast will not adversely affect the flavor or texture of the beer. > [http://www.bluepointbrewing.com/bpbc/about/faq/#faq605](http://www.bluepointbrewing.com/bpbc/about/faq/#faq605) Not only does this **not** describe what I found, it is also from a small microbrewery. Large macros don’t want to get a rep of shit floating around in their product. ---
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/4 "2012-11-21T07:31:31Z")
My guess would be rust – depends what the can is made of. If you still have the can cut it open and see if there’s stuff on the inside or any obvious damage. As you say a big brewer doesn’t want crap floating around in their beer so I’d wager that it comes from something in the canning process. Were they on special because they’re close to the end of their shelf life? (Or past it?) Also, what’s with the pre-emptive no-education warning – what’re you expecting? It’s not _that_ bad around here … ---
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/5 "2012-11-21T07:35:09Z")
Doesn’t matter what it is - bag it up, send it back with a letter saying you felt slightly revolted and they’ll send you a load of vouchers for free beer. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/6 "2012-11-21T07:51:41Z")
> [@SpaceDog](#): > > Were they on special because they’re close to the end of their shelf life? (Or past it?) No. But irrelevant. I live in Milwaukee, dude. I know how they think. No macro is going to allow something that ends up floating in their brew even a century form now. > [@SpaceDog](#): > > Also, what’s with the pre-emptive no-education warning – what’re you expecting? It’s not _that_ bad around here … 😕 You’ve been around here enough to know what I’m talking about. The K.I.A.'s will post pages upon pages to try and educate on yeast, barley, intreptinol, and what have you. I was just trying to nip that in the bud. Macro brews don’t usually have crud floating in their product. > [@mutantmoose](#): > > Doesn’t matter what it is - bag it up, send it back with a letter saying you felt slightly revolted and they’ll send you a load of vouchers for free beer. Meh. Tried that when I got some peanut debris in a Baby Ruth bar. got 4 free candy bars. BFD!!! Besides, I live in Milwaukee. Wisconsin has the lowest beer tax in the country so beer is next to free, or one can take a short drive to a couple of breweries or distributors and get free brew anyway. if you know who to talk to. I just want to know what this crud is/was, not looking to score here. ---
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/7 "2012-11-21T10:15:31Z")
[quote=“pkbites, post:6, topic:641693”] No. But irrelevant. I live in Milwaukee, dude. I know how they think. No macro is going to allow something that ends up floating in their brew even a century form now. [quote] OK. I still think it’s from a defect in the can, something that wouldn’t be detectable prior to canning. Rust if the can is something that rusts, manufacturing gunk otherwise. > [@pkbites](#): > > 😕 You’ve been around here enough to know what I’m talking about. The K.I.A.'s will post pages upon pages to try and educate on yeast, barley, intreptinol, and what have you. I was just trying to nip that in the bud. Ah, OK. I thought you were expecting a deluge of anti-drinking comments in general. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/8 "2012-11-21T10:43:33Z")
Looks like residue that was in a pipe somewhere. Given the beer in question was a lager, and not a bottle conditioned beer, and that Blue Point specifically say that they ultra-filter their lagers, it won’t be a residue from the brew process - and thus won’t contain any yeast. So the gunk is likely something introduced in the canning process, in the journey from vat of finished beer to can. I would bet incomplete cleaning of a hose or fitting that had some old beer residue dried on. The gunk looks as if it once had a flat ribbon like form. Then again, this is from a company that sells a beer called BP Toxic Sludge, so maybe they had some left over. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/9 "2012-11-21T12:04:06Z")
Call and complain. Product quality is sort of the whole point of a quality control department. They need to know about your goo so they can decide whether a recall is necessary. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/10 "2012-11-21T15:09:40Z")
I don’t understand the point _cough_ of the first two sentences, either, but, yeah, that shit don’t belong in no Point lager. Rust is my only guess, too. That isn’t yeast or grain or any normal sediment and, like you say, you wouldn’t find it in that style of beer. What kind of texture does it have? And, stupid question of the obvious type, you’re sure your drinking glass was clean, right and that the mystery ingredient came from the can, right? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/11 "2012-11-21T16:06:50Z")
Point Brewery is not Blue Point. Please stop referencing Blue Point Brewing, as it isn’t relevant. And beer cans don’t rust, or at least they haven’t since 1958. Man, people used to actually pretend they knew what they were talking about to respond in GQ. **pk** I can’t see the picture, but were there any off-flavors from that can? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-just-came-out-of-my-beer-can/641693/12 "2012-11-21T16:20:55Z")
Oh, what fun is it if we can’t idly speculate. And :smack: on the rust suggestion. I’ve had rust flakes in beer before, but that was from a wet bottle cap on a couple year old beer. I didn’t consider that aluminum cans don’t exactly rust.