Impact of Biofilm on Draught Beer Quality

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Speakers: Dr. Darla Goeres, Dr. Jesse Miller

Biofilm is a community of microbes encased in a matrix that is most often associated with surfaces but also exists as flocs or chunks of floating matter. Biofilm challenges many industries, because once established in a system, it is hard to kill and remove. In the brewing industry, it is suspected biofilm in beer draught lines is harboring bacteria responsible for off-flavors in the draught beer, a situation that is frustrating for the on-premise retailer who may lose profits from poor reviews, the brewers who take great care to craft a beer with a specific taste profile only to have the quality compromised, and lastly the consumer, whose expectations of a high quality product are not met. In this presentation, Dr. Jesse Miller and Dr. Darla Goeres will describe what biofilm is, how it grows, why it is challenging to kill and remove, and the research they are doing to better understand and control biofilm in beer draught line systems.

About the Speakers

Dr. Darla Goeres

Dr. Darla Goeres, Associate Research Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University

Dr. Darla Goeres is an Associate Research Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE), Montana State University. Dr. Goeres leads the Standardized Biofilm Methods Laboratory at the CBE, and is a leader in the development and validation of standard methods for growing, treating, sampling, and analyzing biofilm bacteria. Dr. Goeres has researched biofilm growth in a variety of industrial and engineered systems including oil field reservoirs, Danish district heating waters, treated recreational water venues, and has evaluated a multitude of products designed to control, kill and/or remove biofilm from hard non-porous surfaces such as those found in hospitals and the home environment.

Dr. Jesse Miller

Dr. Jesse Miller, Director

NSF International Applied Research Center

Dr. Jesse Miller, Director, NSF International Applied Research Center, has over a decade of experience in microbiology, molecular biology, commercialization, and front end innovation. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Wayne State University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Miller's academic research focus has been on the bacterial pathogenesis of Streptococcus, while his industrial research focus has been on creation of diagnostics for the health care industry. In his role, he has led and trained multiple teams on the tools and principles necessary to create meaningful products and services in today's fast-paced product development world. He has authored numerous publications and holds over a dozen patents (granted and applied for).