Designing Novel Beers with Foraged Yeast | Jasper Akerboom | TEDxAshburnSalon
The speaker argues that beer production is a complex interplay between engineering and biology, asserting that yeast is the most critical component because it transforms simple sugars into the final beer's aroma and flavor. This is best illustrated by the success of isolating wild yeast strains from diverse, unconventional sources—like old barrels in Washington D.C. or dinosaur fossils—to create unique brews.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker: Unknown expert presenting on brewing science.
- Topic: The science of beer production, focusing heavily on the role of yeast.
- Context: A presentation detailing the complexity of brewing, involving microbiology, engineering, and biology.
## Theses & Positions
- Beer production is a product of multiple converging fields, including engineering and biology.
- Yeast is the most important element in the brewing process because it converts simple sugary liquids into the desirable aroma and flavor compounds.
- While industrial brewing relies on highly controlled, standardized processes, venturing outside the normal guidelines—by isolating wild strains—can lead to vastly superior and unique beer characteristics.
- The relationship between brewers (providing sugars/environment) and yeast (providing transformation) is a "perfect partnership."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Yeast:** A single-celled eukaryote; essential for converting sugars into alcohol and CO₂.
- **Eukaryotes:** Organisms that include fungi (mushrooms), plants, humans, and yeast; distinguished from Bacteria and Archaea.
- **Sakura Sake:** The yeast strain used in brewing science demonstrations.
- **Brewing Process:** A regimented, multi-step process involving mashing, filtering, and boiling.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Basic Brewing:** Ingredients are converted into a mash, which is then boiled. Yeast acts on the sugary liquid to convert sugars into alcohol and CO₂.
- **Wild Strain Isolation:** The process of finding and culturing yeast strains from non-traditional sources (e.g., street runoff, old barrels, fossils) to generate novel beer profiles.
- **Fermentation:** The metabolic process where yeast consumes sugars (like those from grapes in wine or starches in mash) and excretes ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$) as a byproduct.
## Named Entities
- **Netherlands:** Location mentioned as having windmills and tulips.
- **Germany:** Country mentioned neighboring the Netherlands.
- **Belgium:** Country mentioned neighboring Germany.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Brewing equipment:** Implied machinery used in industrial breweries, which are described as "marvels of industry of engineering" and "computer operated."
- **Traps/Barrels:** Used for collecting and housing yeast strains for experimentation (e.g., old barrels from Washington D.C.).
## References Cited
- **Tree of Life:** Framework used to classify life, distinguishing Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes.
- **Weinberg/Mrs. Duner:** Individuals mentioned in connection with the speaker's early microbiological studies.
## Numbers & Data
- Age/Time related to yeast activity: yeast is active during the *mashing process* (enzyme action) and later during *fermentation* (microbiology).
## Examples & Cases
- **Early Study Location:** The speaker studied microbiology in the Netherlands, focusing on microorganisms surviving extreme positions (hot vents, salt lakes).
- **Career Switch:** Transitioned from microbiology to neuroscience to studying protein design for imaging brain activity.
- **Wine Production:** Yeast is needed to turn grape sugars into alcohol and $\text{CO}_2$ (e.g., in wine).
- **Whiskey Production:** Requires mashing, where yeast turns starches into sugars, which are then fermented into alcohol.
- **Champagne:** Contains $\text{CO}_2$ trapped in the liquid form.
- **Finger Lakes region (Upstate New York):** A beautiful area known for wine growing, where new, unique yeast strains were found.
- **Street Runoff:** Yeast strains were successfully isolated from a suburban street behind the speaker's house.
- **Washington D.C. Barrels:** Yeast strains were recovered from old, excavated barrels, yielding unexpected results.
- **Fossil Collaboration:** Successfully obtained yeast strains from dinosaur fossils found in swamps (a process the speaker initially doubted).
- **Best Practice Comparison:** Modern industrial brewing versus utilizing wild, non-standardized yeast sources.
## Methodology
- **Initial Study Method:** Microbiology research in extreme environments (hot vents, salt lakes).
- **Current Focus Method:** Controlled study of fermentation kinetics using specific yeast strains (Sakura Sake) in controlled environments.
- **Experimental Method:** Controlled field/archival sampling to isolate and test wild yeast strains from diverse geographic and historical locations (Finger Lakes, DC barrels, dinosaur fossils).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The best beer is created through a "perfect partnership" where the brewer provides the substrate (sugar) and the yeast provides the transformation.
- To expand brewing potential, one must "go outside of the normal of the normal lines."
## Implications & Consequences
- Industrial efficiency and control, while excellent, can limit creativity in brewing.
- The capability of microorganisms means that any environment—even suburban streets or ancient fossils—can harbor unique, viable biological potential.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"beer is the camaraderie"*
- *"the world we couldn't really see around us"*
- *"the yeast will actually take that and I converted into alcohol co2 aroma and flavor what we like so much"*
- *"a single-celled organism"*
- *"if you look at the Tree of Life there's basically three glass there's the bacteria there's the archaea and there's eukaryotes"*
- *"does it will take that sugar and convert it into alcohol and co2"*
- *"it's a perfect partnership"*
- *"so by going outside of the normal of the normal lines trying to go somewhere else we were able to expand the balance and the next time"*