Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology

Innovation Project Title: Cultivating Iowa's Wild Yeast: Fostering Innovation in Iowa's Craft Brewing Industry

Saccharomyces yeast species are prevalent in the global beer industry while non-Saccharomyces species are gaining traction within the craft beer market. Scott Nelson is looking to modify BBMB 120L, Biochemistry of Beer Laboratory, to include opportunities for students to not only gain experience with isolating wild yeasts, but also work alongside a local craft brewery. With these modifications, students will collect and isolate wild yeast samples, learn more about marketing craft beers, and play a part in determining a yeast's potential for use in commercial beer production.