Beer lovers, bacteria enjoy a good beer

Milwaukee -- Milwaukee residents love beer, but who knows whether they might love it less if they knew how many bacteria they're getting with their cold ones.

Brewers say beer lines that are not cleaned properly are adding bacteria to draft beer in many of the city's hot spots, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Sunday.

Microorganisms like lactobacillus, a bacteria found in yogurt, cheese and the human gastrointestinal tract, are generally not harmful -- but they can ruin the taste and smell of a $5 beer.

Most beer should not have any yeast or lactobacillus in it.

Some states, like Illinois, require that beer lines be cleaned at least every two weeks, but Wisconsin has no such laws, and health inspectors rarely check under taps, the newspaper said.

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Copyright 2007 by United Press International.