Yeast vitality stain and cell count, same-day result if received before 10:30.
Lab testing
Brewery QA That Starts With the Right Bottle.
Routine lab samples received before 10:30 are logged the same day. Samples after 10:30 are logged the next working day. Warm, leaking or unlabelled samples do not receive lab certificates.
48 to 72 hour turnaround with gravity drop and plain-English risk note.
Aerobic plate count, wild yeast, LAB and Pediococcus. 3 to 5 working days.
Test menu
Sample Volume, Container, Method and Turnaround
| Test | Sample | Container | Method summary | Limit or note | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeast vitality stain and count | 50 ml slurry or beer | Sterile bottle | Methylene violet stain, haemocytometer count | Report cells/ml and viability | Same day before 10:30 |
| Forced fermentation | 250 ml fermenting beer | Sealed sterile bottle | Warm agitation and terminal gravity check | Flags attenuation risk | 48 to 72 hours |
| Full micro screen | 250 ml beer or wort | Chilled sterile bottle | Aerobic plate count, wild yeast, LAB, Pedio plates | Aerobic plate count reported from 10 cfu/ml. Wild yeast, LAB and Pediococcus reported as detected or not detected from enrichment, with count when colonies are recovered. | 3 to 5 working days |
| Bright beer ATP swab | Swab or 100 ml beer | Swab tube or sterile bottle | Luminometer hygiene screen | Relative light units | Same day when logged |
| pH and gravity confirmation | 100 ml beer | Clean sealed bottle | Calibrated meter and density check | Report to tank number | Same day when logged |
Pre-pack checks
Before Bright Beer Becomes Packaged Beer
ATP Swab
For bright tank valves, transfer lines and filler contact points when a packaging run cannot afford a hygiene guess.
Gravity Confirmation
Density check against brewery reading, useful when yeast has moved slowly or dry hop creep is suspected.
pH and Forced Ferment
Flags remaining fermentability, sharp pH movement and beers that should not yet be put into can or keg.
Yeast work
Viability, Density and Repitch Advice
Brew Nutrition can check viability, vitality, pitch density and visible contamination risk before a crop is reused. A repitch recommendation is tied to the tank, generation, gravity, temperature history and the next wort, not to a generic promise that the yeast looks fine.
Sample acceptance rules
Chilled, Labelled, Sealed, Logged
- Chill samples after collection and keep them upright in transit.
- Label bottle and bag with brewery, batch, tank, gravity, date and required test.
- Seal lids properly. Leaking bottles are rejected for staff safety and bad data.
- Send routine samples before 10:30 for same-day logging.
- No certificates are issued for warm, leaking or unlabelled samples.
A result without the tank number is pub chat, not quality control.
Report format
PDF by Email, With a Useful Risk Note
Reports are sent as PDF by email to the address on the sample sheet. The note is written in plain English: what was found, what it means for the tank, and whether the result argues for packaging, holding, repitching or further testing. Retained samples are held chilled for 5 working days unless the brewery asks otherwise.
Email lab details