Abstract

Bacterial spoilage has a negative impact on the quality, stability and consumer acceptance of beer. The present study was conducted to determine bacterial surface and product contamination in the microbrewery environment. HybriScan™ D Beer rapid molecular testing kits for bacterial cell counts were used to evaluate three microbreweries of similar size at eleven different locations within each brewery. Analyses of HybriScan data showed the presence of spoilage bacterial species on all surfaces sampled after sanitation and bacteria were also present in liquid samples collected during production. The most highly contaminated locations were the racking arm and the blow off valves. Levels of spoilage bacteria differed significantly between microbreweries. These differences could be related to variations in sanitation protocols and floorplans. Some establishments allowed customer seating adjacent to production operations which could impact the contamination of surfaces and the quality of final products. Awareness of the presence of the organisms can facilitate proper sanitation, consumer awareness, and storage of these products to limit the growth of spoilage bacteria.

Key words: Beer, brewing, spoilage, microbrewery, brewery, bacteria, contamination.