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Lumina Technology
Lumina™ Technology blurs the line between yeast strains that could be used for NEIPAs and traditional West Coast IPAs, allowing the exploration of new flavor combinations. By reducing yeast-derived haze in Lumina strains, brewers can now access hazy IPA flavors in West Coast IPA and drive consistent clarity in modern IPA styles.
How does yeast influence haze?
As Hazy IPAs took off, we asked this same question here at Omega Yeast. Our first understanding came from early experiments that identified hazy and non-hazy yeast strains and that late-fermentation dry hopping made the most hazy beers. Our most recent discovery identified a yeast gene that leads to haze in dry-hopped beers, which we named HZY1. Our Lumina Technology uses CRISPR/Cas9 to remove HZY1 so brewers can make bright beers brighter and explore what British Ale V can do in a West Coast IPA.
NTU values of each standard strain sample compared to its Lumina counterpart when used in Citra West Coast IPA recipe for this experiment. Learn more about the basics of haze.
Two very different-looking IPAs that both max out in juicy flavor. The recipe is the same, all but the yeast strain. Pictured on the left is DayBreak‑V and on the right is British Ale V.
Can you remove HZY1 from any yeast strain?
Well, yes, but it’s not always necessary. The most exciting strain to test Lumina Technology in was British Ale V (OYL-011), our top-selling strain for Hazy IPAs. The resulting DayBreak‑V (OYL-408) strain is a dramatic shift from the NEIPA styles and allows brewers to explore new flavor combinations in clear, juicy West Coast IPAs. A more nuanced application of Lumina Technology is to combine it with our DKO Technology in strains like West Coast I + (OYL-430) and Point Loma + (OYL-434) to provide the most streamlined solution for avoiding both haze and diacetyl in your West Coast IPAs. Lumina Technology is limited to these strains for now, but we may find that there are other strains that benefit, too.
How do I use Lumina strains?
We have learned that British Ale V can be used to drive a lot of the haze you get in dry-hopped beer styles. The picture above illustrates the dramatic difference between British Ale V vs. DayBreak‑V in an all-barley grist with 2 lb/bbl Citra dry hop. Without the yeast component to haze, the resulting DayBreak‑V beer is considerably less hazy. Keep in mind, you can also get haze from malt and hops and to achieve crystal clear beers you’ll want to tackle these forms of haze too with common best practices (e.g., kettle finings, separation of cold break, using enzymes and/or fining agents in the cellar). If you are already taking approaches to minimize haze, West Coast I + or Point Loma + might be able to push even more clarity or reduce hangups in the cellar. Most importantly, we drink with our eyes. Lumina strains can be used to improve the appearance of your IPA or change it entirely.
As this growing category of Hazy IPAs dominated the market, we set out to better understand the genetics behind yeasts’ ability to promote stable haze in dry-hopped beer styles.
Lumina Technology key points:
- Blurs the line between yeast strains that could be used for NEIPAs and traditional West Coast IPAs, allowing the exploration of new flavor combinations
- Reliable clarity for styles that are meant to be bright
- We discovered the haze gene in yeast and can now remove it, thereby removing the yeast component to haze
- Malt and hops can still contribute to haze, so this is not meant to replace your current clarifying techniques, but will make it easier to produce reliably bright IPAs
- Further reading: Omega Yeast Discovers a Yeast Gene that Makes Beer Hazy