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''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' var. ''diastaticus'' is a variant of ''S. cerevisiae'' that can ferment certain types of starches and dextrins, and has been identified as a contaminant in breweries and is responsible for a few large recalls. This variant can produce extracellular glucoamylase (also called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-glucosidase alpha-glucosidase], and is the same enzyme that ''[[Brettanomyces]]'' produces to break down starches and dextrins) that can break down the α-1,4 linkages of starches and dextrins releasing glucose that is then fermented by the yeast. When beer containing this yeast is packaged too early, it will continue to slowly ferment dextrins and cause over-carbonation. When pitching a proper cell count or pitching rate of a diastaticus yeast into wort, it will fully ferment as quickly or nearly as quickly as any other brewers yeast. The problem of slow fermentation in already packaged beer is only a concern when diastaticus is introduced as a very small cell count, for example as an accidental contamination <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1982499288444942/?comment_id=1983013578393513&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R1%22%7D Caroline Whalen Taggart. Milk The Facebook post on how quickly diastaticus ferments. 02/09/2018.]</ref>. This enzyme is heat stable and can continue to work on starches and dextrins after pasteurization <ref>[https://www.mbaa.com/publications/tq/tqPastIssues/1983/Abstracts/tq83ab19.htm Factors That Control the Utilization Of Wort Carbohydrates by Yeast. G. G. Stewart, I. Russell, and A. M. Sills. MBAA Technical Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1983.] </ref>. The capability to produce this enzyme is encoded by the STA1, STA2, or STA3 genes. Not all strains containing one of these genes produces the glucoamylase enzyme <ref>[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00365634 STA10: A gene involved in the control of starch utilization by Saccharomyces. Julio Polaina, Melanie Y. Wiggs. 1983.]]</ref><ref>[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/yea.1102/full Structural analysis of glucoamylase encoded by the STA1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (var. diastaticus). Ana Cristina Adam, Lorena Latorre-Garcia, Julio Polaina. 2004.]</ref>. However, it has been reported by some microbiologists that most (if not all) brewing strains that contain STA1, STA2, or STA3 do produce the glucoamylase enzyme <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1935201836508021/?comment_id=1936604203034451&reply_comment_id=1937166892978182&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R7%22%7D Richard Preiss. Milk the Funk thread about STA1 gene correlation to glucoamylase production. 12/31/2017.]</ref><ref name="mbaa_diastaticus">[http://masterbrewerspodcast.com/068-diastaticus-part-1 Matthew Peetz of Inland Island and Tobias Fischborn of Lallemand. "Master Brewers Association Podcast" 12/25/2017.]</ref>(~16 mins). This report is directly contradicted by White Labs regarding their strains with this gene [https://whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp590-french-saison-ale-yeast WLP590], [https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp099-super-high-gravity-ale-yeast WLP099], and [https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp045-scotch-whisky-yeast WLP045] (it is likely that the strains reported by other microbiologists to be ''diastaticus'' are the same as these White Labs strains, but this has not been verified). There has been a report by Richard Preiss of [[Escarpment Laboratories]] that WLP570 and WLP585 both have the STA1 gene, but it takes weeks before they hyper-attenuate <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1888017211226484/?comment_id=1911782002183338&reply_comment_id=1982274298467441&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Richard Preiss. Milk The Funk Facebook group post on WLP570 and WLP585 being diastaticus. 02/08/2018.]</ref>. This yeast has also reportedly been detected using [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1981.tb04005.x/pdf LCSM agar plates], although other species of wild ''Saccharomyces'' yeast can grow on this media <ref name="mbaa_diastaticus" />(~18 mins) and PCR DNA analysis is required to give a positive identification of ''diastaticus''. Documented attenuation percentages above 75% for any strain of ''S. cerevisiae'' is also an indicator that the strain is ''diastaticus'' <ref name="mbaa_diastaticus" />. Var. ''diastaticus'' contamination in breweries has been a recent hot topic, and the source of some contaminations has been suspected to come from certain yeast suppliers (namely White Labs) <ref>[https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Left-Hand-v-White-Labs-COMPLAINT.pdf District Court, Boulder County, Colorado. Case Number 2017CV31132. Filed 11/14/2017.]</ref>.