Hybridisation is an important evolutionary mechanism to bring about novel phenotypes and may produce new hybrids with advantageous combinations of traits of industrial importance. Within the Saccharomyces genus, Saccharomyces jurei is a newly discovered species and its biotechnological potential has not yet been fully explored. This yeast was found to be able to grow well in unhopped wort and at low temperatures, qualities necessary in good candidates for fermented bevarages. Here, we analysed its fermentation and aroma profile and created novel non-GMO hybrids between S. jurei and S. cerevisiae ale yeasts to develop new starter strains with interesting flavours for the craft brewing and beverage industry in general. Pilot beer fermentations with specific hybrids showed a good fermentation performance, similar to the ale parent strain, while eliminating the hyper-attenuation characteristic and a more complex flavour profile. This study exploits the genetic diversity of yeasts and shows how inter-specific hybridisation and clone selection can be effectively used in brewing to create new products and to eliminate or increase specific traits.

杂交是一种重要的进化机制，可产生新的表型，并可能产生具有工业重要性特征的有利组合的新杂交种。在Saccharomyces属中，Saccharomyces jurei是一个新发现的物种，其生物技术潜力尚未得到充分探索。发现这种酵母能够在未啤酒花的麦芽汁中在低温下生长良好，这是发酵酒的良好候选者所必需的品质。在这里，我们分析了其发酵和香气特征，并在S. jurei和S. cerevisiae之间创建了新型非转基因杂交种啤酒酵母为一般工艺酿造和饮料行业开发具有有趣风味的新发酵剂菌株。具有特定杂交种的中试啤酒发酵表现出良好的发酵性能，类似于艾尔母株，同时消除了超衰减特征和更复杂的风味特征。这项研究利用酵母的遗传多样性，并展示了如何在酿造过程中有效地使用种间杂交和克隆选择来创造新产品并消除或增加特定性状。