Brewing and Distilling Yeasts

Graham Stewart joined the Labatt Brewing Company, London, Ontario in 1969 and devoted himself to the advancement of brewing science with an emphasis on yeast, firstly as a research microbiologist, subsequently, through various research positions, culminating in eight years as Director of Brewing Technical Affairs, with responsibility for strategic technical planning, research, process and product development, quality assurance, intellectual property management and technical education and training.  His team’s subsequent achievements in the development of high gravity brewing and related process intensification concepts are widely acknowledged.  In 1994, Heriot Watt University in Scotland recruited him to head the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) as Director, and Professor of Brewing and Distilling, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.  He holds PhD and DSc degrees from the University of Bath, is a Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham and currently is an Emeritus Professor at Heriot Watt University (who conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate for his contributions to education and research over the past 50 years).  His Fellowships include: the American Academy of Microbiology, the Institute of Biology and the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD).  He has held various roles within the IBD, including being a Past President and he holds its highest award – the Horace Brown Medal.  Further awards include: the Award of Distinction from the American Society of Brewing Chemists; the Award of Merit from the Master Brewers Association of the Americas and the Charles Thom Award from the Society of Industrial Microbiology.  He has an academic publication record with over 300 titles that includes peer review papers, books, patents and review articles.  His contributions to brewing and distilling education and training are considerable.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. History of brewing and distilling yeast.- 3. Taxonomy of brewing and distilling yeasts and methods of identification.- 4. Yeast culture collections, strain maintenance and propagation.- 5. The structure and function of the yeast cell wall, plasma membrane and periplasm.- 6. Energy metabolism by the yeast cell.- 7. Yeast nutrition.- 8. Yeast viability and vitality.- 9. Bioethanol.- 10. Killer (Zymocidal) yeasts.- 11. Stress effects on yeast during brewing and distilling fermentations – high gravity effects.- 12. Yeast management.- 13. Harvesting and cropping yeast – yeast flocculation and centrifugation.- 14. Yeast ethanol toxicity in distilling.- 15. Flavour production by yeast.-  16. Yeast genetic manipulation.-  17. Non-Saccharomyces (and bacteria) yeasts that produce ethanol Epilogue.