Title: The origin of lager brewing yeast
Speaker: Dr. Juan Ignacio Eizaguirre, Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality, Technical University of Munich
Abstract: Lager brewing originated in Central Europe during the 15th century, when brewers began fermenting in cold caves. This process led to the emergence of Saccharomyces pastorianus, a unique hybrid yeast capable of fermenting at these low temperatures. For centuries, its exact origins remained a mystery until the 2011 discovery of S. eubayanus in the forests of Patagonia. Since then, many efforts have been made to understand when and how hybridization occurred. The most recent hypotheses maintain that this hybridization occurred in Europe, although so far only one of its parents has been found in this area. Consequently, the search for the elusive European S. eubayanus remains one of the most intriguing 'missing link' stories in modern brewing science.
Bio: Dr. Juan Ignacio Eizaguirre is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality, Technical University of Munich. He holds a degree in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, as well as a Doctoral degree in Biology, working on the Saccharomyces eubayanus in Patagonia (Argentina). The main topic of his research is the use of non-conventional yeasts in the brewing industry.
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