Presenter: Leon W. Fyfe, Craft Brew Alliance
Coauthors: Jamie DeMerritt, Craft Brew Alliance, Portland,
OR; Danielle Wedral, Pall Corporation, New York; Dave
Schleef, Pall Corporation, Portland, OR
The growth of unpasteurized and unfiltered craft-style beers
has increased the urgency around monitoring and improving
brewery sanitation. The need for quicker methods, such as
qPCR, provides an alternative method for detection of beerspoiling
microorganisms before product is released into the
marketplace. Traditional methods for detecting beer spoilers
are limited and require a minimum of 5 to 7 days for results.
Using quantitative PCR (qPCR) techniques, brewers can
detect potential beer spoilers more quickly with higher sample
throughput, as well as identify the type of spoiler they have
detected. The authors will compare traditional plating methods
with qPCR and describe how this information has been used
to improve brewery sanitation in a large craft brewery. Actual
examples from the brewery will be cited where traditional
methods alone either were impractical or incapable of
enumerating especially hard to detect bacteria, whereas the
use of qPCR was able to identify the spoiler, as well as help
identify opportunities for improved sanitation and new critical
control points.
Leon Fyfe left academic research in 2011 and assumed the
role of brewery microbiologist for the Craft Brew Alliance
in Portland, OR. Leon’s pursuit of a life in science started
after an honorable discharge in 2005 from a 12 year career
as a United States Marine. Leon graduated from Washington
State University with a degree in biology and is currently a
graduate student in the School of Molecular Biosciences. Leon
has taken an active role in the MBAA Northwest District as a
member of the Technical Committee. He continues his passion
for high-quality craft beer through the spirit of education and
collaboration.
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