Beer is simple. Combining water, hops, yeast and barley is essentially all there is to it. Humankind has followed this simple recipe to make the Nectar of the Gods for many millennia. Sure, people have added many things along the way… fruits, herbs, coffee, chocolate, just to name a few. Not, thanks to science, we’re able to unlock the secrets hidden within the basic ingredients themselves, namely with barley.
Recently, a UK research team led by Prof. Robbie Waugh of Scotland’s James Hutton Institute have unraveled the mystery of the barley genome, which is twice the size of that of humans, which has opened up a world of possibilities for creating better beer. The information Prof. Waugh’s team released will help in creating barley varieties that are better suited to cope with climate change and fight off diseases that affect barley.
Simply put: More barley = more beer. Better barley = better beer.
Thanks, Science!
Source: Science Daily
Cheers,
Mr. Singha