Potential for Lager Beer Production from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains Isolated from the Vineyard Environment

Abstract

Saccharomyces pastorianus, genetic hybrids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the Saccharomyces eubayanus, is one of the most widely used lager yeasts in the brewing industry. In recent years, new strategies have been adopted and new lines of research have been outlined to create and expand the pool of lager brewing starters. The vineyard microbiome has received significant attention in the past few years due to many opportunities in terms of biotechnological applications in the winemaking processes. However, the characterization of S. cerevisiae strains isolated from winery environments as an approach to selecting starters for beer production has not been fully investigated, and little is currently available. Four wild cryotolerant S. cerevisiae strains isolated from vineyard environments were evaluated as potential starters for lager beer production at laboratory scale using a model beer wort (MBW). In all tests, the industrial lager brewing S. pastorianus Weihenstephan 34/70 was used as a reference strain. The results obtained, although preliminary, showed some good properties of these strains, such as antioxidant activity, flocculation capacity, efficient fermentation at 15 °C and low diacetyl production. Further studies will be carried out using these S. cerevisiae strains as starters for lager beer production on a pilot scale in order to verify the chemical and sensory characteristics of the beers produced.

Recycled Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG) and Grape Juice: A New Tool for Non-Alcoholic (NAB) or Low-Alcoholic (LAB) Craft Beer Using Non-Conventional Yeasts

“…New flavors and styles, but also functional and non-alcoholic beers, are the main drivers of product diversification. Therefore, fermentation management using new starter yeasts represents an opportunity where the brewer can easily diversify the product to satisfy consumer desires [2][3][4][5]. In this context, brewers interested in meeting consumers' expectations of more healthy products and in expanding their assortment of beers must increase their production of non-alcoholic beers (NAB) or low-alcoholic beers (LAB) that are taking over the market.…”

“…In the EU, no alcoholic beverages containing more than 1.2% ABV are allowed to bear health claims, while nutrition claims should refer only to low alcohol levels or to the reduction of alcohol content or energy content [8]. In the production of these specialty beers, the reduction of ethanol content is performed during fermentation by biological methods (modifying yeast fermentation or strains) or physical methods applied after fermentation (thermal or membrane processes) [2]. The use of biological methods, based on the conscious use of selected non-conventional yeasts, different from Saccharomyces traditionally inoculated as starter cultures for brewing, could be a useful approach to produce NAB LAB, as non-Saccharomyces yeasts have a limited ability to ferment wort sugars [3,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”