Identification of spoilage microflora in draught beer using culture-dependent methods.

Aims: To determine whether the culture-dependent spoilage microflora found in draught beer are influenced by beer style.

Methods And Results: Four beer styles-lager, ale, stout and cask ale - were sampled twice from five different public houses (accounts) in four different locations. The microbiological quality of the dispensed beers was determined by a culture-dependent method ('forcing'), measuring the increase in turbidity after incubation at 30°C.