Friday Fun? Let’s learn about the microbiology of beer

Microbiology might not sound like fun, but guys like Charlie Bamforth, University of California, Davis professor, at least make it entertaining. To quote Bamforth in the video above: “Beer is of course the finest alcoholic beverage on the planet. People talk about wine. You’ve got a bunch of grapes, tread on them and wait. And what do you do while you’re waiting? You drink beer.”

Speaking of which, grab a cold one because the above video is an hour-plus, but it’s awesome info by entertaining speakers, which includes both Bamforth and Rebecca Newman from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. The master ingredient in this video is yeast — a microbe — and every step in the brewing process helps the yeast do its job better. This live streamed video from the American Society of Microbiology helps all of us learn more about how microbes are selected, grown and manipulated in modern breweries to develop a wide variety of flavors and textures. Watch on.