Research and development of a novel yeast management protocol for the brewing of craft beer

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Copper Brewing Company is a craft brewery located in Kelowna, British Columbia. The company has been in operation since 2017 and now features a diverse selection of 18 fine craft beers, including common styles like Copper Lager, Blonde Ale, English Pale Ale and more adventurous choices like Black Currant Sour and Peaches and Cream Wheat Ale. Craft beer is an extremely popular beverage in BC and across Canada, and the industry is growing rapidly. Over the past five years craft beer sales in BC have nearly tripled. As a result, the craft beer sector in BC is getting very competitive, forcing breweries to focus on producing high quality products without large-scale operations that generate a positive return on investment. In general, craft breweries are small operations with limited resources and capacity to engage in development of new and innovative products. Copper Brewing recognizes the need to grow in a cost-effective manner and seeks to adopt promising new yeast strains to create new and innovative kinds of craft beer. An important factor in new product development is the capability to propagate and manage production of different kinds of yeast strains that directly impact the fermentation process and flavour of brewed products. To this end, Copper Brewing has identified a Norwegian yeast strain called Kveik that holds significant promise for creation of new and exciting craft beers. To leverage this opportunity, the brewery seeks to partner with Okanagan College to research and develop a specialized yeast management protocol for this particular strain. Research findings from this project will benefit the company by providing evidence-based insights into development of new and unique product offerings that appeal to a wide variety of consumer preferences. This will help Copper Brewing grow its current business and allow it to remain competitive in the craft beer marketplace. Okanagan College will use the new knowledge for teaching and further applied research purposes.