Beer - Microbiology you can Drink

In this video presented by the American Society for Microbiology, you get a lesson on how microbes work their magic to brew beer. The featured speakers are Rebecca Newman, of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Dr. Charles Bamforth of University of California, Davis. The talks are around 15 minutes each, and are followed by a question and answer session.

Bamforth gives an overview of how beer is made, discussing the process in detail and how various characteristics of the brew change with different ingredients. He also discusses the influence of microbiology on beer; contaminants are a big issue with making beer and care must be taken to avoid a wide range of microbes, presented here. Yeast of course is another microbe discussed in Bamforth's talk.

Newman's talk is less oriented to science and more about the technology of brewing and the various machines and equipment used in large scale brewing. There is also a short bit on the preparation of yeast in the brewery, the role the company microbiologist plays in quality assurance.