Thiols

Did you know that you actually shouldn’t mash hop? Did you know that thiol levels can be turned up or down predictably like a dimmer switch? Did you know…

In recent years, the brewing world has learned a lot about terpenes, thiols, biotransformation, survivables, and more. Now, let’s zoom out to consider the essence of hop aroma—the oils that contain all those compounds—and make sense of them in a way that any brewer can use.

Modified yeast strains and products such as Phantasm have unlocked the massive aromatic and flavor potential of thiols. Now, brewers are learning how best to tame that power in service of balance and nuance.

Luminous Beings was practically an afterthought—a mid-strength hazy pale ale designed to culture up some thiolized yeast for bigger IPAs. Yet that afterthought took on a life of its own, winning gold at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival. Greg Winget, director of brewing operations at Wye Hill in Raleigh, North Carolina, explains the method behind it.

Scott Janish, cofounder of Sapwood Cellars and author of The New IPA, explains how mash-hopping—especially before fermenting with yeasts that are engineered to unlock bound thiols—can add a significant aroma boost to your IPAs.

Two brewers share insights into their gold medal–winning beers: a thiol-focused hazy pale ale and an unconventional American light lager brewed with Vista hops.

Biotransformation is an expansive, complex process. Laura Burns, R&D director of Omega Yeast, puts the topic into context, raising questions about the conventional wisdom and zooming in on certain precursors that exist in beer’s ingredients.

Laura Burns, director of research and development at Omega Yeast, explains the impact that thiols can have on beer aroma—and why brewers and yeast labs are increasingly interested in how to unlock their potential.

Laura Burns—microbiologist, brewer, and R&D director of Omega Yeast in Chicago—digs into the science and practical techniques for maximizing the hop aroma in your IPAs and other hoppy beers.

Minnesota’s Surly Brewing has a reputation for brash and unapologetic beers, but head brewer Ben Smith is exploring ways to maximize flavor in IPAs by doing less, not more.

The labs have been busy developing new critters for us to corral. Here are few recent releases worth trying at home.

Microscopic and difficult to measure, thiols can nonetheless add up to big tropical aromas in IPAs and other beers. In this video tip, Alvarado Street brewing director J.C. Hill describes a way to free up more thiols using a special yeast.