Applying Bioinformatics and Biochemistry Tools to support the Craft Brewing Industry in BC

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proposal aims to found a centre for molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics research that would**support the craft brewing industry in BC. It will initially do so by pursuing three specific projects: 1) Develop**tools for early detection of beer spoilage. This research is in partnership with Parallel 49 brewing and aims to**characterize the mechanism of "spoiled" beer by extracting DNA and sequencing known marker genes to**identify species/strains associated with spoilage. It aims to deliver a simple diagnostic tool to identify common**spoilage microbes; 2) Develop a tool to assess yeast degradation. Also in partnership with Parallel 49 brewing,**this project will characterize the mechanisms of yeast degradation. Its deliverable will be an on-site binding**assay to assess the state of degradation for yeast prior to pitching them in beer; 3) Lineage analyses of wild BC**hops to support novel product development. This project is in partnership with HOOH Organic Hop Company,**and will involve developing and using genetic markers to identify the varietal types of wild BC hops. These**heirloom hops represent an opportunity to develop unique and marketable hops varietal. 4) Chemical and**microbial analyses of barrel-aged "premium" beer. Also in partnership with Parallel 49 brewing, this project**aims to understand how unique flavour profiles are created during barrel-aging, a process that introduces an**unknown set of microbial species into mature beer, allowing secondary anaerobic metabolism to occur, which**produces complex and unique flavours that command a premium value in the beer market. We seek to culture**the microbial strains responsible for specific flavour elements, which would allow their optimal inoculation in**beer in order to improve the product of the barrel-aging process.