A: You can ship them or you can drop them off at the University of Southern Maine. It’s your choice, just make sure your samples are clearly labeled with your brewery’s name, product ID, and test requested. 

Drop off: A sample drop off fridge is located inside the science building on USM’s Portland campus (70 Falmouth St). The horseshoe driveway can be used to quickly park and drop off your samples. Make sure email us at usm.qc2lab@maine.edu to let us know samples have been delivered. Please note: the fridge is secured by a padlock. The combination is MALT. The freezer compartment combination is BEER.

Shipping: Please ship to the address below. Samples should be packaged in a screw-top container and taped to prevent the cap from coming loose in transit. If your sample is for micro testing, make sure the container is sterile before collecting your sample as a non-sterile container may result in a false positive. Please refer to the individual test pages for information on sample volumes required for each test.

University of Southern Maine - QC2 

70 Falmouth St. 

Science Building | Room 196C

Portland, ME 04103

A: Of course! We’re happy to match your needs with our testing services. Please email us at usm.qc2lab@maine.edu or call us at 207-780-4487

A. Every test is so different that there isn’t one volume that fits every test! For some of our more popular tests like ABV and IBU we need at least 200 mL. Some of our packages need even more because of all of the tests we have to perform. Please refer to the testing service product page to make sure you are sending in the correct volume of sample. AND it’s always great if you can send in duplicates of your samples. Every once in a while we need to rerun a sample and it saves a lot of time if we’ve already got that duplicate sample in the lab.  Still have questions? Call us: 207-780-4487

A: They come right to your inbox when we are done running your samples! Official reports with your results will be emailed as a PDF. Results are always sent to the email address used to place the order, so make sure that’s the person who needs to get those results. If you want others included in that email let us know.

A: Absolutely! We take confidentiality seriously in our lab. Every sample that comes in is coded with a number, and that number is used throughout the testing process to track the samples and keep brewery names separate from the results. We never share the results with any one other than you!

A: Each test is as different as the beers you brew! Turnaround time differs depending on the test requested. Some of our more routine tests like ABV, IBU and color typically have 1-2 day turnaround times. We try to get microbial testing results out to you the next day because we know how critical that information can be to your brewing process! For some of the more complicated tests like VDK and DMS we have a 5 to 7 day turnaround time. Each testing service product page has the specific turnaround times for each test.

A: Don’t have time to stop by the lab, no worries, you can ship your samples to us! Carefully package shipping containers to reduce the risk of damage during transit. We’ve seen samples wrapped in newspaper, bubble wrap, and my favorite, brewery t-shirts! It’s best to ship either packaged products or samples in containers with a twist-on lid. If possible, use parafilm to secure the lid and prevent loosening in transit. You don’t want it to leak on it’s way to us. Make sure to ship them to this address: 

University of Southern Maine - QC2 

70 Falmouth St. 

Science Building | Room 196C

Portland, ME 04103

A.We’ve seen samples come in all sorts of containers. Mason jars, carboys, water bottles, take-out containers...if it holds a liquid it might work! We don't require a specific sample container, but the container you choose should be appropriate for the test ordered. For our analytical tests you really want to make sure you use a container that is airtight and that you can fill as close to the top as possible. If the test is for microbial detection, the container needs to be sterile. You don’t want to get a false positive microbial test because you put a sample in a contaminated container.

If you are close to USM, or drive into Portland once in a while, you can save on shipping costs and drop your samples off at the lab. A sample drop off fridge is located outside the science building on USM’s Portland campus (70 Falmouth St). The fridge is locked, but the top secret combinations are MALT (fridge) and BEER (freezer). The horseshoe driveway can be used to quickly park and drop off your samples. Make sure email us at usm.qc2lab@maine.edu to let us know samples have been delivered.

A: The best way to pay for tests is to order and pay for our services online before submitting samples. We are busy at work training students, running tests and doing research, and ordering online saves us a ton of time! But if invoicing is preferred, payment is required within 30 days of receiving the invoice. 

A: Thanks for asking! We are supported by the fees brewers pay for testing and workshops, grant funding through MEIF, and through donations. If you’d like to further support us please consider donating to the lab. Every dollar donated goes to support undergraduate research in the brewing industry. 

We also appreciate every shout out we get on social media. If you work with us we’d love for you to share that with the community!