The Taming Of The Brew: How Sour Beer Is Driving A Microbial Gold Rush
As the popularity of sour beers burgeons in America, scientists are going back to the drawing board in a quest to discover the perfect mix of new brewing microbes.
Whether it's food production, medical microbiology or alcohol-fermentation, one yeast genus holds a near monopoly on research: Saccharomyces.
It's "the most well-studied organism in history," according to Indiana University's Matthew Bochman, a microbiologist specializing in the research of new bacteria and yeast for beer-brewing.
By comparison, we know little about other yeasts. However, an ancient type of beer that continues to grow more popular in America's craft brew scene has sparked a scientific race to unearth and tame new wild yeasts and long-maligned bacteria, which could have wide-ranging implications for other fields.
Sour beer's story
