The Essential Guide to Thiolized Yeast

Why do people love hazy beer? Answers will vary, of course. But it’s undeniable that folks across the world enjoy New England-style IPAs because they are uber juicy in both flavor and aroma. Big bursts of citrus, pineapple, grapefruit, mango, and more draw consumers into a hazy’s turbid depths. But what if we told you that you could make their hazies even juicier? Or, more accurately, that you could unlock organic sulfur compounds already existing in your hops and malt that would enhance the aromas of your beer?

That’s the research that Omega Yeast has been undertaking for the last several years, engineering a strain of genetically modified yeast—thiolized yeast—intent on cracking into those organic aromatic compounds called thiols.

So if we told you that you could make your hazies, West Coast IPAs, or other predominantly hop-forward styles pack a stronger aromatic punch, wouldn’t you want to learn about that research?

We spoke directly with Omega Yeast and some brewers in the industry leveraging this new analysis to put together a beginner’s guide to thiols and thiolized yeast.

Just like yeast itself, this is a living, breathing, evolving exploration with new studies and papers coming out constantly. But for now, here’s a first step to help you understand the basics of how to best leverage thiolized yeast to make your most aromatic beer.

Read Grace Weitz’s full article here.