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From: jhc@hou5g.UUCP (Jonathan Clark)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: Yeast strains and boozology (and headaches)
Message-ID: <522@hou5g.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Feb-85 17:15:33 EST
Article-I.D.: hou5g.522
Posted: Mon Feb 11 17:15:33 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Feb-85 04:27:16 EST
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
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[]
There are two points here. First, every brewer/vintner that
I am aware of is fanatically careful about the strain of
yeast used in fermentation. Second, a particular strain of
yeast will produce a brew with unique chemical
characteristics. It's not a case of purity control, but of
the different yeasts producing different permutations of
alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones and so on in the
fermentation process. Part of the job of the brewmaster is
to experiment with different quantities of the components
of a beer and try each combination with a different yeast
strain, to see what the results are (I have a friend who
became a brewmaster at a real small brewery in London
(Godstow's, I think - anyone know it?)).
Different strains of yeast produce different amounts of
different chemical goodies. It's the same as different
beers/wines having different amounts of ethanol - it's not
because individual breweries throw in different amounts of
industrial alcohol, but because the yeast strain used for
that brew dies off at that ethanol concentration. Some of
these yeast strains have been around for centuries. When
Lowenbrau licensed Miller to produce its lager in the US
part of the deal (indeed, part of the process) was that
Miller use Lowenbrau's strain of yeast (this strain started
off in the thirteenth century sometime).

As I recall, the trace chemical in booze that is the major
cause of headaches is amyl alcohol. Napoleon brandy is
supposed to be full (relatively speaking) of this stuff and
thus should be avoided when drinking heavily. Vodka has none
and thus is relatively pleasant to get drunk on.

Jonathan Clark
[NAC]!hou5g!jhc
-- 
Jonathan Clark
[NAC]!hou5g!jhc