Designing and Deploying a Budget-Friendly Yeast Propagation System

​​MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-57-3-0922-01 | VIEW ARTICLE

Doug Hindman. Elliott Bay Brewing Company, Seattle, WA 98125, U.S.A.​

Abstract
A 36 L pure yeast culture propagation system was designed and built using off-the-shelf components to service the needs of a 10 barrel (11.7 hL) brewpub facility. The system, modeled upon batch-type stirred-tank bioreactors, started with commercially acquired Saccharomyces cerevisiae seed culture and delivered sufficient quantities of good quality yeast for use in the main brewing plant after a single 48 h step-up phase. The present article describes the process of selecting the system components, details the fundamental propagation principles underlying its configuration, and reports on the results of a number of trial propagations.​