Versatility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae 41CM in the Brewery Sector: Use as a Starter for “Ale” and “Lager” Craft Beer Production

Abstract

Craft breweries tend to use special raw materials and also special ingredients (spices, herbs, fruits) to typify beers, but the metabolic activities of yeasts play a primary role in defining the sensory characteristics of this beverage. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus are yeast species usually used for ale and lager beer production. The selection and use of new yeast starters with peculiar technological and enzymatic characteristics could represent the key point for the production of beers with good and distinctive organoleptic properties. In this study, the fermentative performance of S. cerevisiae 41CM yeast isolated from the vineyard environment for ale and lager craft beer production on a laboratory scale was evaluated. The commercial yeast S. cerevisiae Fermentis S-04 and S. pastorianus Weihenstephan 34/70 were used as reference strains. S. cerevisiae 41CM showed fermentative kinetics similar to commercial starters, both in lager (12 °C) and ale (20 °C) brewing. In all beers brewed, the largest percentage of volatile compounds synthesized during the fermentation were alcohols, followed by esters, terpenes, and aldehydes. In particular, S. cerevisiae 41CM starter contributed a higher relative percentage of esters in the ale beer than that detected in the lager beer, without ever synthesizing unwanted volatile compounds.