Opening and operating a brewery is no simple task. Some of the variables to consider when opening a local brewery, along with having adequate finances to start up a brewery, are finding an appropriate facility, modeling it to house brewing vessels and a taproom, obtaining all the equipment needed to brew beer in large quantities, hiring dependable staff, attracting customers, and ensuring quality control and a sanitary facility. On top of all this, the beer offered at the brewery needs to be exceptional to hold up to competition. Before diving into brewing though, all equipment used must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to prevent any contamination.

Microbe contamination is a huge factor to consider when brewing beer. Cleaning measures take up a substantial amount of time before brewing even begins. The importance of keeping equipment free of unwanted microbes before brewing cannot be stressed enough, as contamination can destroy an entire batch of beer and can result in product loss, rigorous cleaning to rid the facility of the unwanted microbes, and possibly even damage the reputation of the brewery.

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To prevent contamination, all equipment must be thoroughly cleaned before brewing and between beer batches. Most breweries first rinse all equipment with hot water, followed by cleaning and then sanitation (Mosher & Trantham, 2017). The most common cleaner used is Powder Brewery Wash (PBW). PBW is a basic cleaning detergent that must be washed off the equipment after use (PBW Product Tech Sheet, 2003). Following this, a highly acidic sanitizer, most commonly Star San, is used on all equipment to kill unwanted microorganisms and left to air dry (Star San Product Tech Sheet, 2003).

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While all breweries operate differently, I was able to experience how Motorworks Brewing Company handles sanitation during their bottling process, which is all done by hand. Before bottling begins, all empty bottles are soaked in diluted parasitic acid to kill off any microbes. Bottles are then drained and placed upside down to dry. Immediately before filling the bottles, all equipment was sprayed down with Saniclean, a low-foaming acid rinse sanitizer, similar to Star San. This sanitizer is safe on skin when diluted appropriately and does not need to be rinsed off equipment. Bottles were filled in an enclosed case and immediately capped to cut off exposure to the outside environment.

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Fortunately, processes during brewing also help to kill off unwanted microbes. The heat in the boiling kettle can kill off many microbes, the hops added possess antimicrobial properties, and the CO2 produced by yeast during fermentation creates an undesirable environment for microbes (Barth, 2013). However, there are still a number of microbes that pose a threat to local breweries. The local breweries that our class has toured this semester specifically watch out for Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, Brettanomyces, and Saccharomyces with sub species diastaticus (Saccharomyces cerevisiae variety diastaticus). Some breweries use Brettanomyces yeast in the fermentation of sour beers, and in doing so, must take extra precautions to ensure the yeasts stay only in the sour beer production.

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