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Brettanomyces

Oxygen and microbesNot reversible

Barnyard, plaster, band-aid, smoked meat. Some people like a little of it; almost nobody likes a lot.

What causes it

A spoilage yeast in reds, thriving at high pH and low free SO2, often living in old oak.

Detection threshold

Widely variable. Some tasters cannot detect it at all.

There is no fix

Sterile filtration removes the organism. The aroma compounds already formed stay exactly where they are.

How to prevent it

Molecular SO2 above 0.5 mg/L, clean barrels, and do not let a red sit warm with sugar left in it.