Agricultural products are complex. You get the good with the bad. With the precision of advanced genetic techniques, we’re able to tune traits in isolation, and therefore give brewers a new set of tools. The benefit of this precision is exemplified by two of our available technologies: Tropics strains are engineered to make the flavor-active compounds that give highly sought-after hop varietals their signature flavors—like passionfruit, guava, and grapefruit—but without the bitterness and grassy off-notes associated with large quantities of vegetative material.  Galactic strains are engineered to make lactic acid in an otherwise standard ale brewing process and without the process woes and mousy off-flavors that come from alternative methods. With our newly developed strains, brewers can deliver more delicious and drinkable beer to their customers.

When flavor-active compounds are produced by yeast, flavor intensity is consistent across fermentations. In contrast, agricultural products used to drive flavor—like hops and fruit—are notoriously inconsistent. Flavor profiles change across seasons, picking windows, and even from one side of the farm to the other. The conditions inside your fermentor, however, are easier to control. With Berkeley Yeast you can be confident in delivering a consistent product to your customer. And when demand for your product increases, scale up without the sourcing headaches and variability imposed by agriculture.

Our yeast strains allow brewers to create premium products without the usual problems that plague them: labor intensive processes and expensive ingredients that turn margins paper thin. We can do this by engineering the yeast to achieve the qualities associated with expensive ingredients. For example, our Summerstone strains deliver an intensity of peach flavor that would be cost prohibitive with fruit additions. With smart fermentation, yeast drives efficiency.