Lagers—Not Your Everyday Joe Six-Pack
Art by Molly Ashford
Mysterious Origins:
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 It’s hypothesized that lagers were first discovered some time between the 15th and 16th century by monks brewing in the Bavarian caves of Germany. Unlike wine and other beers that had been around for millennia, lagers only came about recently because of their unique yeast makeup. After genetic analysis, scientists have discovered that lager yeast is, in fact, a hybridization of two other yeast species (the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus). The two yeasts may have been cohabitating in a monastery’s brewery where they mated to create a new beer that the monks happened to really dug.
Stuck in the Past?:
However, just like mating a donkey with a horse to get a mule, the result of the mating of two yeast species is sterile. Lager yeasts continue to bud asexually. Consequently, because the yeast is sterile master brewers can’t do mating experiments to find the best lager yeast. Scientists could use recombinant DNA, but it might be more trouble than it’s worth. Genetically modified foods already get a bad rap; so creating a “frankenbeer” may be financially disastrous for those willing to tamper with the favorite beverage of millions.
Mountain fresh taste:
So, it is not surprising that lagers were first reported as fermenting in the coolness of the Bavarian caves in Germany since lager yeast prefers lower fermenting temperature than ales and other beers, between 45º and 57ºF. Lagers eve
November 10, 2008
Tags: alcohol, beer, food, innovation, lager, trivia Posted in: Fun Food Facts
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