About Us
We believe that education can change the world.
The QC2 lab isn't your typical analytical testing lab. We believe there is a better way to provide testing services to our craft beverage customers. A way that creates unique and engaging educational opportunities for our undergraduate students, that educates our customers on important quality parameters in their industry, and that builds the STEM workforce. Our passion is fueled by the believe that education can change the world. We believe that collaborating with the craft beverage industry is an engaging way for both the industry and our undergraduates to learn more about the science of their craft.
A Brief Overview of
Our Founding
The QC2 lab was founded by Luci Benedict in 2016. It all started from a couple of conversations with the Quality Control Manager at Allagash Brewing Company and the head brewer at Rising Tide Brewing Company. Luci had a need to find real world lab experiences for her students, and the breweries had a need for their beer to be tested for important quality control parameters. Lucky for everyone those two needs fit perfectly together. We collaborated with the Maine Brewers Guild to secure seed funding from the Maine Economic Improvement Fund at the University of Southern Maine (MEIF@USM) to build the lab in 2014. With MEIF@USM funding we built a lab that has top of the line instrumentation and equipment essential for testing and research, that is run by our trained undergraduate students, and is a great resource to our Maine brewers.
Leadership
Current Students
A Focus on Analytical Techniques
Analytical chemistry is the art and science of using instrumentation and methods to separate, identify, and quantify matter. In our lab we are taking this branch of chemistry and applying it to craft beverages. Through this application we use a variety of instruments and methods to analyze alcohol, flavor compounds, sugars, acids and much more. Our focus isn’t only on providing educational opportunities and testing services, we also have a robust research program that is dedicated to developing new and innovative analytical methods for quality testing in the brewing industry.