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What's beer without hops? Yeast genetically engineered to have hoppy flavour without the crop

Some craft brewers are skeptical about this new scientific breakthrough, vowing never to trade hops for genetically modified yeast

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There’s a new beer in town, but it’s missing one main ingredient — hops. 

A team from the University of California, Berkeley has genetically engineered brewer’s yeast so that it gives off a hoppy flavour without actually having to use the crop itself. This week, the team reported in the journal Nature Communications how they spliced together four genes — two from normal yeast, one from mint and one from basil — and created a new brewer’s yeast strain that produces classic hoppy flavours.

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The researchers, led by Dr. Charles Denby and Dr. Rachel Li, say the project was motivated primarily from an environmental perspective. Hops are flowers produced by the hop plant and are responsible for the bitterness and aroma that makes each beer unique, but the plant itself is very energy intensive. The study estimates that in the United States alone nearly 100 billion litres of water each year goes into growing hops. 

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For a generic product it might be okay, but something that’s as unique and specialised as a craft beer, I just don't think it would do quite the same job

Jon Downing

But what would beer be without these plants? Sweet and dull, probably. Back in the Middle Ages brewers would use herbs and spices to flavour their beer, but by the 15th century the hoppy flavour had prevailed, with the added benefit of acting as a preservative. The plant comes in many different varieties, and while some brewers will throw the leaves directly into their brew, others use pellets made from dried-out leaves. 

The final hoppiness of each beer depends on three things: the type of hops used, the quantity, and how long it’s left in the brew. Throw some hops in at the start of the brewing process and you’ll end up with a much more bitter beer than if you toss them in at the end. You can also dry-hop, which means adding the crop in during the fermentation process, leaving you with a fresh herbal aroma.

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Another important thing when it comes to hops: location. Grow the exact same hop plant in Niagara Falls and Seattle and each will have a distinct taste because of the different climates.

Brewer Mary Beth Keefe says she wouldn’t use genetically modified hops.
Brewer Mary Beth Keefe says she wouldn’t use genetically modified hops. Photo by Hand out: Mary Beth Keefe

Playing around with hop combinations is a craft-brewers muse. And for some, the thought of having a genetically modified hop flavour takes away from what it means to be a craft brewer. 

“I think craft breweries in particular are very focused on using local, fresh, natural and wholesome products that they can even grow themselves in some cases,” says Jon Downing, professor of Practical Brewing at Niagara College. “For a generic product it might be okay, but something that’s as unique and specialized as a craft beer, I just don’t think it would do quite the same job.”

Downing says hops bring an “incredible” diversity to a pint and he can’t imagine how you’d be able to get so much variety in a genetically modified product. But lead researcher Dr. Charles Denby says his team is working on it. 

The final taste of a pint depends largely on the hops.
The final taste of a pint depends largely on the hops. Photo by Hand out: Refined Fool Brewing Co.

“This project has basically gone after one class of flavours but I believe we are just scratching the surface in terms of flavours that yeast can produce,” he says. “Just like how hops can be bred to have different flavours and produce different beers, I think we can use yeast to create beers that have yet different flavours.” 

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Mary Beth Keefe is the head brewer of Granite Brewery in Toronto and says she imagines this type of biotechnology would be enticing because it could cut down costs. Keefe says she pays between $13 and $22 per pound of hops, with one batch of her hoppiest beer requiring nearly 20 pounds of the crop. Despite this potential benefit, Keefe says she would never use a genetically modified version of hops.

“I personally would never use it because we’re quite traditional here,” she says. “We use water, hops, yeast and grain and I think that’s what I would always do even if something like this was available.”

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Others are a bit more open to the idea. Matthew Barnes is the director and brewer of Refined Fool Brewing Co. in Sarnia, Ont. His team has incorporated local products like honey into their beers and he’s hoping to purchase hops from new farms in the surrounding area. But Barnes says he wouldn’t rule out using new biotechnology. 

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“You can still do your own local stuff and still experiment with other cutting edge technology at the same time,” he says. “You might actually want to incorporate (new technology) so you aren’t left behind.” 

While the research is still new and Denby acknowledges people will probably be skeptic for awhile, his goal is to one day work alongside brewers. 

“We are refining our strains and just trying to make the best product that we can so that brewers will be excited to use it.”

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