Screening for high ethanol production was conducted at 40 and 45 C in 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks containing 100 ml of a basal sugar cane juice medium composed of sugar cane juice supplemented with sucrose to 18% total sugars and 0.05% (NH4)2SO4 and with pH adjustment to 4.5 with 1 N HCl. Inocula were prepared by transferring one loop full of 24 h culture grown on a slant of YPD agar to an Erlenmeyer flask containing 50 ml of a sugar cane juice medium as above but with only 2% total sugars. After incubation on a rotary shaker at 25–28 C for 24 h, the inocula were transferred at the rate of 5% to the screening medium, followed by incubation on a rotary shaker at 40 and 45 C.