In the brewing process, maintaining batch-to-batch product consistency is of the highest priority.  Inconsistencies in aroma, flavor or appearance can negatively affect perception in the market, and thus should be addressed and mitigated as early in process as possible so as not to exacerbate a potential problem.  For a craft brewery that uses multiple different strains of yeast, cross-contamination of house yeasts can be as large a concern as bacterial contamination and beer spoilage.  Different yeast strains contribute varying characteristics to beer, and contamination, while rare, is an issue that should be on the radar.  Through a partnership with the University of Colorado Biofrontiers Institute, we have made use of Next Generation Sequencing to develop a cross contamination assay based on single base pair differences in genes of interest within our house yeasts.  This new assay allows us to ensure yeast purity during propagation and fermentation at Avery Brewing Company.

Utilization of next generation sequencing to develop a real-time qPCR assay for cross-contamination of house brewing yeasts

249th National Meeting (2015)

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