

Life-form of the Month: Yeast - sharpn
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/bubbles-bread-and-beer/

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hackermom
I will gladly appoint the Saccharomyces genus the fungus of all millennia, for
all it has given us in beer, wine, yoghurt and other food, medicine, _and
beyond_.

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camiller
What about Brettanomyces which is also used in many beers either by itself, in
conjunction with Saccharomyces, or in conjunction with other fermenters like
lactobacillus and pediococcus (for sour beer styles like Lambics)?

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hackermom
I don't know anything about that genus of fungi. Is it as "versatile" as the
Saccharomyces genus? (i.e., does it give us food and medicine as well?)

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camiller
That is a good question. Since I've only just started exploring the
possibility of using a Brett strain in a batch of beer (I have ordered a
Brettanomyces Claussenii culture) I haven't really explored it's use in other
areas.

For what it's worth Yoghurt is produced by bacterial fermentation usually with
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, not by a
Saccharomyces ferment.

