Under the Microscope

We know that yeast strain and fermentation temperature are highly impactful on beer flavor, but there’s a more subtle variable that brewers often overlook: pitch rate.

Researchers and yeast labs are looking closer at whether yeast-killing yeast—such as those that snuff out diastatic strains, preventing cross-contamination—may have broader applications in brewing.

One way that yeast labs are developing new strains is a method called adaptive lab evolution, which avoids genetic modification while aiming for specific traits sought by brewers—such as greater tolerance to alcohol, or to terpenes. Here’s how it works.