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==Methods For Avoiding Contamination==
===General Approaches===
* Clean and disinfect all equipment that comes into contact with the beer or wort, including beer dispensing systems, and keep them in prime condition.
* Use the maximum concentrations, exposure times, and hottest temperatures (considering temperature limitations of plastics and glass) suggested by the manufacturers of any given cleaning/disinfectant product.
* Clean first using an effective cleaner, and then apply a disinfectant/sanitizer as a second step.
* Use a separate packaging system for sour beer unless the packaging system can be sanitized with hot water or caustic (foam disinfectants that are often used in packaging lines have been reported to be not as effective against removing biofilms).
* The more surface area that equipment has, the more prone it is to biofilm formation. Horizontal surfaces are more prone than vertical surfaces to biofilm formation.
* Boil beer instead of heat pasteurizing at below boiling temperatures, and store beer and yeast and low temperatures. Beer filtration and pasteurization are effective ways to reduce the chance of contamination.
===Reducing Microorganisms===