Breweries partner with bacteria-detecting Philadelphia start-up

Out to help improve the beer-drinking experience, the Philadelphia life-sciences company Invisible Sentinel Inc. has entered into partnerships with four brewing companies for final validation of its Veriflow brewPAL.

The technology by the University City start-up claims to be the first to provide same-day detection of pediococcus and lactobacillus, bacteria that attach to grain and can spoil the taste of beer.

Last fall, Invisible Sentinel announced a partnership with Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown to work on validation of Veriflow brewPAL. That effort has expanded with the addition of Yards Brewing Co. in Philadelphia; Weyerbacher Brewing Co. in Easton, Pa.; Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa, Calif.; and Kettlehouse Brewing Co. in Missoula, Mont., according to an announcement Monday by Invisible Sentinel and Victory. The new technology reduces detection time from several days to less than three hours, which could be the difference between a batch of beer headed to store shelves and one being dumped down the drain.