If you are a beer drinker, it might surprise you to learn how much water goes into one pint of beer. About 11 gallons just for the hops alone.
But thereโs a scientist named Charles Denby who wants to replace those hops with genetically engineered yeast. And heโs doing this because he wants to make beer more climate-friendly.
โIโm really interested in making an impact on the process,โ said Denby, โand if that means that we can cut out trillions of liters of water thatโs used on hop agriculture every year, thatโs really the pie-in-the-sky goal for me.โ
Denby wants to replace hops because the crop is vulnerable to climate change.
Most of the nationโs hops, and many of Californiaโs hops, are grown in the Yakima Valley in the state of Washington. Andย that area is expected to have less waterย because of higher temperatures and intense drought.
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The challenge for Denby is creating yeast that tastes hoppy enough.
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His yeast is made with the genes from mint and basil plants. He combined these genes with yeast DNA, then mixed them with yeast cells. Heโs hoping this process will lead to some interesting flavors.
Read full, original post:ย Would You Drink Beer Made With GMO Yeast To Conserve Water?
