Charles Denby’s startup Berkeley Yeast is genetically modifying yeast to produce flavor compounds for craft brewers and winemakers. When he looks at beer, Denby sees biotechnology, one of the oldest in the world. He also understands that beer and winemaking are now under threat from climate change. Experts predict the taste of beer to change and prices to go up as drought and high temperatures impact the growth and supply of hops, barley, and fruit crops.

Denby hopes to reform brewing with molecular engineering. Berkeley Yeast—the start-up he cofounded in 2017 as Berkeley Fermentation Science—is engineering yeast to produce key molecules that give beers and wines distinct flavors. This should allow craft brewers and winemakers to produce bold-flavored beverages with fewer hops and less fruit. “Our mission is to create technology that’s good for people and the planet,” he said. But persuading customers that the modified yeast is safe to use in their products has taken some work.

Click here for the full story. 

Photo courtesy of University of California, Berkeley