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The hop plant Humulus lupulus L. produces a flower with remarkable biochemical properties. When boiled, various compounds are isomerized and produce bitter-tasting compounds that serve to cut what would be a very sweet drink to make it palatable, but it also has good antimicrobal characteristics that keeps the beer from spoiling. Depending upon the beer style, they can also make a significant flavor contribution, such as the pine notes from Northern Brewer and Chinook, the citrus and tropical notes from Citra, or even the chocolate notes from Southern Cross. A thousand different chemical compounds have been identified in hops, but two major ones that drive hop flavor are linalool and geraniol. It is the subtle relative differences between hops varieties of these and other compounds that lets one produce beers with a very broad range of flavor profiles.
A team of researchers wanted to insert the genetic material that produces linalool and geraniol into the brewing yeast and have those compounds generated during the fermentation process. They inserted the gene sequences that are known to produce these compounds into a widely used commercial strain of beer yeast (White Labs WLP001). They made beer using these engineered strains as well as one with an unmodified strain and presented the results to a tasting panel. The found that the engineered strains produced a product that had a "hoppier" flavor than the unmodified strain.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03293-x
(Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Thursday March 22 2018, @01:59PM (5 children)
First off, IBU isn't a measurement of quality. There are lots of great microbrews that are not hoppy at all, and other styles where the hops are there but not ridiculous.
Secondly, as someone who has done some brewing in my time, choosing the variety and quantity of hops is a significant part of the art of getting it right. Figuring that out is often the difference between a decent homebrewer and a great homebrewer.
So I'm really not sure why this effort exists.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @02:26PM (1 child)
Cheaper mass manufactured beer. Hoppy flavors without expensive hops.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @06:22PM
This is the real reason for this research.
It's a way to cut costs. That's all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:45PM (2 children)
Since you state "as someone who has done some brewing in my time" -- by saying
"So I'm really not sure why this effort exists" you obviously have never been involved
in the brewing industry.
Maybe you should investigate the brewing process and the raw materials used with
greater depth.
If you did , you would find that brewing hops are a very delicate ingredient.
After harvest they start to degrade, they are sensitive to oxidation, heat exposure
UV light exposure. With a northern hemisphere harvest of once per year, the
brewer has to adjust recipes throughout the year to produce a finished beer having a
somewhat consistent flavor profile. Beer styles with a large amount of hop aroma will
not be able to be made with a consistent aroma profile throughout the year - the beer
will change as the production date is farther from the hop harvest date. Also the
finished beer flavor/aroma profile will change as the consumption date is farther
from the production date. The hop flavor/aroma substances are not stable even in
finished beer.
If the yeast can make these flavor components FRESH with every ferment, then
MANY brewing complications go away.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday March 22 2018, @11:42PM
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday March 23 2018, @05:24PM
You're right that my brewing efforts have been homebrewing. In that environment, consistency isn't the goal, something tasty to share with your friends is. I don't mind that different batches at different times don't have the same flavor, nor do I mind it if IPAs come out better in one season and stouts come out better in a different season.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.