Biology was never my favorite science class. But through personal growth and regular examination of inspiring beverages, I have come to appreciate the life sciences. Whiskey, wine, and sake wouldn’t be possible were it not for barley, grapes, and rice, respectively. And we have the agricultural duet of malt and hops to thank for ale and lager. But, of course, it’s at the microscopic level that the real magic happens.
A well-worn axiom says that brewers make wort and yeast makes beer, but an increasingly relevant corollary also recognizes the roles of rogue yeasts and spoiling bacteria. Most modern brewers go to great lengths to keep contaminating microbes out of the brewery, but for those who create wild and sour ales, renegade bugs are the keys to complexity.
Yeasts
Yeasts are single-celled members of the fungus family. They are eukaryotic, meaning that their cells contain a nucleus, mitochondria, and other premium options. A broad class of organisms, yeasts span the full range from beneficial to pathogenic.