Beer spoilage prevention: What is saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus and why should you care?

What is Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus?

Diastaticus is a variant of brewers yeast which has diastatic properties, or the ability to break down starch into simple sugars which can then be fermented. Because diastaticus can ferment sugar that is usually unfermentable, it poses a severe beer spoilage risk.

CBB Learning Alert
The Hidden Beer Spoiler: Finding diastaticus with FPDM
Listen to it today in our webinar archives

There have been several prominent recalls from multiple craft breweries in recent years. In unfiltered, unpasteurized, contaminated beer it can cause:

Over-attenuation
High ABV (TTB violation)
Phenolic-off flavor
Excessive carbonation
Gushing
Exploding packages

Not sure about you, but I’d like to avoid that list of outcomes. Luckily, Dr. Matt Farber at the University of the Sciences has created a new method to test for diastaticus using traditional microbiological media, and we are hosting an entire free webinar (June 19) dedicated to learning all about it.

In this webinar, Weber Scientific will discuss the development and usage of the new Farber Pham Diastaticus Medium (FPDM) to prevent spoilage yeast contamination in the brewery. Sign up right here.