Craft brewery experimenting with local yeast strains
Posted Oct 12, 2018 07:30:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Saltbox Brewing Company is pairing up with Acadia University on a research project.
They've received a $25,000 grant from Nova Scotia Business Inc. to carry forward with work on isolating yeast strains from around Nova Scotia. The goal is to make unique craft beers.
Dr. Russell Easy from Acadia's biology department said yeasts are everywhere.
The first stage of the research involved using a sterile Q-Tip to run over the surface of various objects to see if they can find and grow yeast from those environments.
“We swabbed the Bluenose, we swabbed the churches in Mahone Bay, we swabbed the docks at Blue Rocks, we swabbed the rocks at Blue Rocks,” he told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show.
Researchers were able to find over 300 strains. Between 15 and 20 with fermentative qualities were sent to the brewery, which Saltbox is attempting to use to make beers that are unique to the area.
With the grant, they'll be able to proceed to stage two of their research, which is to look at the proteins that are being produced by the different yeast strains.
“The proteins don't give direct flavour to the products,” Easy explained. “They provide amino acids which shape the flavour, shape the fermentative capacity or the ability to break down sugars to produce alcohol.”
In a news release, Saltbox Brewery's Director of Operations Patrick Jardine said the research will add to their growing expertise in the craft beer industry.
“Now we can add local yeast strains to our brews to come up with products more rooted in the Lunenburg agricultural community.”
