The Rise of the Yeast
In 2020, the world has been obsessed with microscopic organisms, even those with no connection to the coronavirus. As you are probably aware, beer has four ingredients: water, hops, malt, and yeast. The last one of that group is perhaps the most intriguing, and is offering a new frontier of beer flavors and differentiation in a world of craft beer that has slowly expanded to become more and more homogenous.
Yeast is a single-cell organism that, when offered a food source (malted grain sugars), reproduces quickly and converts those sugars into alcohol and carbonation. Yeast can be cultured and propagated, and in many ways each strain of yeast is like an ancestral family that shares the same DNA. Master brewers have long used and developed different strains to produce certain flavors and qualities in their fine brews.
Where did brewers first acquire these yeast strains? Well, yeast is a natural organism and existed in nature, often on the skins of fruits like grapes, or just floating around in the air (like in farmhouse ales).
Certain yeasts work (ferment) better at certain temperatures, and brewers and winemakers found ones that worked best for their climates and conditions. This is why it makes sense that most of the world’s beers proliferated along latitude lines where temperatures were such that they could grow hops and grain, and then brew when conditions were right. Hotter climates are not known for beer because most yeasts produce chemically
manufactured flavors at higher temps. One could theorize that in some ways yeast strains are as tied to their lands, giving them an aspect of “terroir” in the same way that wine grapes do.
Historically, Europeans have been more inclined to favor more-noticeable yeast in their beer. In America, our staple lager beers are all about clean, crisp, easy-drinking flavors, and did little to promote yeast as a core ingredient. Craft brewing has certainly changed that.
Twenty years ago, it was almost revolutionary to be brewing an IPA or Witbier for the mass market. Over time, brewers pushed the envelopes, brewing more and more flavorful and exotic beers with the use of hop-overloading or other added ingredients. The expansion of the industry led to an increase in the supply chains and newer varieties of hops, which offered slightly fruitier or citrusy flavors. But, as I have written before, as more breweries came into existence, the more of a “been there, done that” attitude has grown among the beer-drinking public, and with that a willingness to try something new. There is a reason you have been seeing more hazy beers come to popularity in recent years.
Yeast provides a way to keep the innovation going. Zymology (the study of yeast and fermentation) is booming among brewing veterans and young scientists alike. There are now yeast labs around the world that are working to cultivate new strains for the competitive market. Each strain of yeast can provide a distinct character of its own. While larger-scale breweries have the ability to hire a full laboratory staff to manage their yeast, smaller breweries are often not as skilled or as knowledgeable and rely on these independent labs to provide a key ingredient for their newer or more experimental styles.
The good news is that as people become more aware of the importance of yeast in beer, they will continue to appreciate all the new and interesting characteristics that yeast has to offer.
Here are some yeast-forward beers that will take you through a range of what yeast has to offer, from the sour to the sweet, from bananas to vanilla:
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse
(5.5%, Germany): A traditional unfiltered wheat ale from Germany, this beer is golden yellow with a nice tall frothy head. The yeast brings in banana, clove, breadiness, and some lemon zest flavors. Very little bitterness makes it a very easy-drinking ale.
Chimay White Label
(8%, Belgium): One of the original Trappist ales, this one is a standard-bearer of the Tripel style. Slightly spicy with all sorts of dried fruit flavors from pear to honey and vanilla, to wild flowers, peppercorn and coriander. It is a complex ale with a bubbly head. It exemplifies traditional Trappist open-air brewing techniques and one-of-a-kind yeast mastery.
Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale
(4.9%, Milton, Del.): Exemplifying the session sour ale, this beer is crisp and tart, with some complex yeast flavors that add to a dry and malty finish. It has a light body and low bitterness and the yeast is the star of the show, in all of its funky style glory.
7 Mile Brewery Walter White IPA
(8%, Rio Grande): A hazy golden yellow IPA from a local brewery. This beer highlights the juicy citrusy flavors of hops with the yeasty complexities from remaining unfiltered. A great offering available in a tall can or on tap locally.
