Berkeley Brewing Science - Hoppy Beer, No Hops. Anyone in SFO?

[logos]

The UC Berkeley lab that was in the news a year or so ago for creating a yeast strain that makes its own hop flavors has commercialized it. The company is apparently called Berkeley Brewing Science and the yeast is already being used in a few California microbreweries.

I have always thought this was an amazing idea - love the biological aspect of brewing.

Anyone tried anything brewed with it?

It looks like microbreweries in pretty much the San Francisco area have used it (Laughing Monk, 21st amendment, Humble Sea, 10 Barrel, Drakes, Fieldwork) . The Laughing Monk place even made two beers with the same recipe except one has this yeast and the other a standard yeast (chico) and is packaging the cans together, called "Science!" and "Control".

BBS is offering the yeast for sale (actually several different strains) on their website, but only in large quantities sized for breweries (5+ barrels, ~$200 worth). I'm tempted to just buy one 5 barrel dose but lord knows how much yeast slurry that is and $200 is a little steep.

If anyone is in the San Francisco areas was willing to send me a couple cans I could culture the yeast out and step it up to enough to brew with. I would be happy to pay the cost of beer + shipping and could send you some yeast if I'm successful.

I did see a talk on youtube given by one of the BBS owners any they would like to sell it to the general public, and might someday, but the need for small volume commercial packaging is apparently what is stopping them.

The paper where they published the development of the yeast: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03293-x

Berkeley Brewing Sciences: https://www.bbsbeer.com/

 

[TandemTails]

I remember hearing about this. I'd love to hear what feedback people have on the flavor and aroma of the beers. I'm guessing they bitter with some fairly neutral hop and then let the yeast do the rest?

 

[logos]

I remember hearing about this. I'd love to hear what feedback people have on the flavor and aroma of the beers. I'm guessing they bitter with some fairly neutral hop and then let the yeast do the rest?

Yes, I believe so. They even have a number of strains with different characteristics. Sounds really fun. I think the beer sold made with the same recipe except chico vs their engineered yeast sounds really fun. Can directly compare what flavors come from the yeast. Hopefully someday a more widely distributed brewery will pick up their yeast. Modern times did a limited run with one of their strains but it does not seem to be available (at least not around here), otherwise it seems to be these smaller brewers so far.