So, it is possible that in the future, we might have access to yeasts that require low temperature fermentation (i.e. special equipment) that give the same flavors we get from simple ale room-temperature/ambient temp fermentations (i.e. no special equipment).
Here I was hoping that it was:
"Science has created clean tasting, well floccing lager yeast that works at 20C (72F)"
Hopes and dreams, always shattered.
@suregork your post is much more intriguing than the actual article
Are any of your new strains close to being released to commercial production? Certainly I think most folks on here would appreciate your work and be interested as I am in seeing new strains - even if the Bud light drinkers themselves don't want to be rescued from their plight!
Hi, I'm one of the researchers involved in the project discussed in the article, and I'd be happy to answer any questions in case you have any
As you guys mention, there of course would be no point in creating lager yeast strains that perform exactly like ale strains just to be able to call it lager and ferment it cool. That is not the purpose of our project either, rather we want to a) develop methodology so that we can create tailor-made strains based on the needs of brewers and b) better understand the molecular mechanisms affecting the properties of brewing yeast hybrids. Besides aroma compounds, we are focusing on lots of other characteristics as well, such as fermentation rate, flocculation, diacetyl formation, ethanol tolerance, flavor stability etc. So yes, we are hoping to improve the diversity of lager yeast strains available to brewers, and this wouldn't be limited to just aroma, e.g. it could be a clean, fast, highly flocculating, low-diacetyl and ethanol tolerant lager yeast.
It is a known phenomenon that hybrid species tend to outperform their parent strains (hybrid vigor or heterosis), and this is something we've seen with the majority of the hybrids we've created. The new lager yeasts tend to ferment faster, attenuate better and produce more aroma compounds than either parent strains (at both high and low temperatures). We are now looking into ways of better controlling their properties. The first hybrid lager yeast strains that we characterized (i.e. the ones in the JIMB artice linked in the SA article) were generated from a fruity, highly flocculating, POF+ ale strain, and that is why the hybrids shared a lot of the same characteristics (and the beer tasting 'Belgian'). We have since generated hundreds of other hybrids with different parent strains, and they can have quite different and interesting properties
Suregork: this research sound fascinating! Have any of your findings been published in a peer-reviewed journal? Better still, are there any free online journals where we can read in more detail about your findings?
Just out of curiosity, who funds the research?
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