Bioengineered Yeast

Bioengineered as in GMO? Don’t fuck with Mother Nature. If that is what this is, these scumbags can go to hell.

 

I had a beer at HomebrewCon Pro-Brewers night that was made with that yeast. They had worked with Lallamand. We were warned that it was super sour, but I thought it was not as sour as I was warned. That's what I remember about it.

 

It sounds like the big benefit is faster fermentation/souring by skipping the souring step, but it also sounds like the sour taste MAY be so intense that blending with another yeast or blending with a non-sour batch of beer is recommended. That sounds like some unpredictability in the end result of the beer depending on the blending skill of the brewer. That could be tricky until the skill is achieved.

But the non-bacterial definition of this yeast sure eliminates the contamination exposure of the brewing equipment, and that's a big plus.

 

Here's what did here following the link to the product page at the end of the article.

"Sourvisiae® contains a single genetic modification, a lactate dehydrogenase gene from a food microorganism, which enables the yeast to produce high levels of lactic acid, the main compound that gives sour beers their flavor." - Sourvisiae product page, Lallemand

So a snip from one organism inserted into the S. cerevisae and eventually raptors take over the planet... Sarcasm aside, this is pretty cool from the technical perspective, in my opinion. Is it a way to cheat when making sour beers - possibly, but if you can use a simple yeast and keep your facility otherwise clean and free from risk (ie, the organism is controlled and controllable similar to conventional yeast) assuming you also make things non-sour? I'd do it in a heartbeat.

The wild yeast - interesting read. It would not necessarily be designated as a new species - more than likely a sub-species or a strain of the organism. That seems to be what the folks who discovered have decided for now, anyway, according to the article.

 

If this yeast strain provides economic benefit to brewers, good.

The anti GMO in food movement has the same scientific credibility as the anti vaccine movement.

 

What’s wrong with natural yeast?

 

So why is a random natural mutation by a cosmic ray or a disease or whatever better than an intended surgical mutation with a specific goal?

 

I agree. It sure seems to me that plants and beings morph and hybridize on their own. My compost bin has birthed some great volunteer tomato plants all across my property. I pick up to 50 mostly cherry tomatoes twice a day and some plants produce more than one type of tomato. I always use the compost for planting. I sure as hell didn't do this on purpose. The Leyland Cypress was developed at N.C. State and any semblance of ice breaks them apart. But they do grow fast!

 

So what?

There are lots of Genetically engineered bacteria, chances you have taken a drug made by one.

So what if they engineer a yeast to produce hop acids to make a faster lager or something?

 

your volunteer tomato seeds out of compost are pretty much the opposite of genetically modified organisms. that is traditional seed propagation in the extreme.

 

Whatever it is a new type(s) of tomato seems to emerge every year. And they are healthy and largely disease resistant. Just before our first frost last Fall, I harvested 128 cherry tomatoes from one plant. I love it.

 

Well, if used by a "craft" brewer, it would be hailed as "INNOVATIVE".

If used by a "macro" brewer, it would be derided as an "ABOMINATION" and attacked as being done simply for economic reasons.

Similar to the geekery's changed opinion on brewing techniques like high gravity brewing, force carbonation, non-barley grain adjunct usage, adjuncts in sugar/syrup form, speeded-up lagering, hop pellets/extract, enzyme-usage, non-traditional flavoring ingredients, etc.

 

Absolute truth.

 

Yep seed saving is a wonderful way to get better produce from your garden. Especially in conjunction with compost! And no experimental biotech required

 

I'm not making a case for (or against) GMOs, and there are certainly different degrees of messing around with nature, but the hops, barley, and yeast used to make the beer you're currently drinking are all cases of messing around with "mother nature."

 

The thing is the best and most productive plants are volunteers that emerge anywhere I've used compost.