KARA TAYLOR (1)
(1) White Labs, Inc., San Diego, CA
Typically. non-phenolic brewer’s yeast, under the right conditions,
should not mutate. Some strains of yeast are more prone to mutation than
others and occasionally a non-phenolic brewer’s yeast will start
producing phenolic off-flavors. Identifying this mutation before
pitching is critical. On the other hand, in phenolic producing yeast,
the amount of phenolic compounds the yeast produces is related to the
cell health and growth rates. These two aspects of brewer’s yeast are
important for the quality of a final product. One way to compare the
levels of phenolics produced by brewer’s yeast to determine mutations or
yeast health is through gas chromatography. The use of gas
chromatography can produce very accurate and precise data of the
concentrations of phenols produced by the yeast. By comparing this data,
brewer’s yeast that has possibly mutated can be assessed without the
use of PCR. Phenols of interest are 4-ethylphenol, o-chlorophenol,
4-ethylguaiacol, and 4 vinylguaiacol.
Kara Taylor graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a B.S.
degree in biology. After discovering her passion for beer in college,
she quickly became a beer enthusiast and relocated to San Diego, CA. She
is a member of San Diego’s Quality Ale and Fermentation Fraternity
(QUAFF). In her free time she enjoys going to beer festivals, knitting,
yoga, and homebrewing.
