Industrially Applicable <i>De Novo</i> Lager Yeast Hybrids with a Unique Genomic Architecture: Creation and Characterization
Zachari Turgeon, Thomas Sierocinski, Cedric A. Brimacombe, Yiqiong Jin, Brittany Goldhawke, Jessica M. J. Swanson, John I. Husnik, Matthew S. Dahabieh
Abstract
All lager beer is produced using two related lager yeast types: group I and group II, which are highly similar, resulting in a lack of strain diversity for lager beer production. To date, approaches for generating new lager yeasts have generated strains possessing undesirable brewing characteristics which render them commercially inviable. We have used an alternative approach that circumvents this issue and created new lager strains that are directly suitable for lager beer production. These novel lager strains also possess a unique genomic architecture, which may lead to a better understanding of industrial yeast hybrids. We propose that strains created using our approach be classified as a third group of lager strains (group III). We anticipate that these novel lager strains will be of great industrial relevance and that this technique will be applicable to the creation of additional novel lager strains that will help broaden the diversity in commercial lager beer strains.