A Culture-Independent Comparison of Microbial Communities of Two Maturating Craft Beers Styles

Abstract

The process of manufacturing craft beer involves a wide variety of spontaneous microorganisms, acting in different stages of the brewing process, that contribute to the distinctive characteristics of each style. The objective of this work was to compare the structure of microbial communities associated with two different craft beer styles (Doppelbock and Märzen lagers), at a late maturation stage, and to identify discriminative, or style-specific taxa. Bacterial and fungal microbial communities were analyzed by Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene of prokaryotes and the ITS 2 spacer of fungi (eukaryotes). Fungal communities in maturating beer were dominated by the yeast Dekkera, and by lactic acid (Lactobacillus and Pediococcus) and acetic acid (Acetobacter) bacteria. The Doppelbock barrels presented more rich and diverse fungal communities. The Märzen barrels were more variable in terms of structure and composition of fungal and bacterial communities, with occurrence of exclusive taxa of fungi (Aspergillus sp.) and bacteria (L. kimchicus). Minority bacterial taxa, differently represented in the microbiome of each barrel, may underlie the variability between barrels and ultimately, the distinctive traits of each style. The composition of the microbial communities indicates that in addition to differences related to upstream stages of the brewing process, the contact with the wood barrels may contribute to the definition of style-specific microbiological traits.