El Sid
@elsid.bsky.social
The state of the world has driven me to drink.... Trying to stick more to beer here, but we'll see how that goes.
@El__Sid in that other place, @ElSid@mastodon.beer
@El__Sid in that other place, @ElSid@mastodon.beer
Reposted by El Sid
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
#protistsonsky 🧵
November 25, 2025 at 8:41 PM
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
#protistsonsky 🧵
The PCA have released the full tables of their pub tenant survey following the release of the summary in May. It may feel abstruse to the average pubgoer, but so much of what's wrong in UK pubs comes down to the tenant-pubco relationship being screwed
www.pubscodeadjudicator.org.uk/tied-tenant-...
www.pubscodeadjudicator.org.uk/tied-tenant-...
November 15, 2025 at 11:38 AM
The PCA have released the full tables of their pub tenant survey following the release of the summary in May. It may feel abstruse to the average pubgoer, but so much of what's wrong in UK pubs comes down to the tenant-pubco relationship being screwed
www.pubscodeadjudicator.org.uk/tied-tenant-...
www.pubscodeadjudicator.org.uk/tied-tenant-...
Big news @beervana.bsky.social - there will be a UK-Oregon working group!!
As usual "strong historic and cultural links" is UK diplomatic talk for "we invaded you, colonised you and either massacred most of your forefathers directly or wiped them out with disease"
www.gov.uk/government/p...
As usual "strong historic and cultural links" is UK diplomatic talk for "we invaded you, colonised you and either massacred most of your forefathers directly or wiped them out with disease"
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Memorandum of understanding on trade and economic co-operation between the United Kingdom and the State of Oregon
www.gov.uk
November 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Big news @beervana.bsky.social - there will be a UK-Oregon working group!!
As usual "strong historic and cultural links" is UK diplomatic talk for "we invaded you, colonised you and either massacred most of your forefathers directly or wiped them out with disease"
www.gov.uk/government/p...
As usual "strong historic and cultural links" is UK diplomatic talk for "we invaded you, colonised you and either massacred most of your forefathers directly or wiped them out with disease"
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Immediate reactions from UK green hop at Spa Valley - great year for Goldings, but more are doing Ernest to greater or lesser success. Challenger notably lemony rather than orangey this year. Shame other varieties brewed by 'lesser' breweries but enjoyed their efforts even if mostly unsuccessful.
October 17, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Immediate reactions from UK green hop at Spa Valley - great year for Goldings, but more are doing Ernest to greater or lesser success. Challenger notably lemony rather than orangey this year. Shame other varieties brewed by 'lesser' breweries but enjoyed their efforts even if mostly unsuccessful.
This paper is nuts - high quality (near-T2T) genomes for 1,086 isolates of yeast (S. cerevisiae), then analysing them (GWAS) for linkage to 8,391 traits.
Yeast is great for showing how evolution works in detail as it has a small genome, many strains with different histories & well characterised.
Yeast is great for showing how evolution works in detail as it has a small genome, many strains with different histories & well characterised.
✨ Latest exciting story of the group in @nature.com. Here, we go beyond SNPs and built a species-wide atlas of genetic variants in yeast. With >1,000 near T2T genomes, we show how large genomic variations affect trait diversity.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
From genotype to phenotype with 1,086 near telomere-to-telomere yeast genomes - Nature
A newly compiled atlas of species-wide structural variants and gene-based and graph pangenomes derived from highly complete assemblies of genomes from 1,086 natural isolates enable integrative genome-...
www.nature.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:10 AM
This paper is nuts - high quality (near-T2T) genomes for 1,086 isolates of yeast (S. cerevisiae), then analysing them (GWAS) for linkage to 8,391 traits.
Yeast is great for showing how evolution works in detail as it has a small genome, many strains with different histories & well characterised.
Yeast is great for showing how evolution works in detail as it has a small genome, many strains with different histories & well characterised.
Oktoberfest 1914/1940.
It just depends on your definition of Greater Bavaria...
It just depends on your definition of Greater Bavaria...
“Yes I would quite like to try Oktoberfest.”
“Why, yes, I am a beer lover!”
“Oh, you say you have a special ticket for Oktoberfest beer lovers? Brilliant!”
“I’m sorry, there appears to be some kind of mistake…”
Oktoberfest in Brussels - the Bavarians will be burning their dirndls in the streets!
“Why, yes, I am a beer lover!”
“Oh, you say you have a special ticket for Oktoberfest beer lovers? Brilliant!”
“I’m sorry, there appears to be some kind of mistake…”
Oktoberfest in Brussels - the Bavarians will be burning their dirndls in the streets!
October 14, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Oktoberfest 1914/1940.
It just depends on your definition of Greater Bavaria...
It just depends on your definition of Greater Bavaria...
Perhaps they could move the jobs to a completely different country, but still brand them as "Amsterdam jobs"? Cos Heineken would never do something like that.
Hey presto - no cuts to "Amsterdam jobs"!
Hey presto - no cuts to "Amsterdam jobs"!
Heineken’s latest move to impact hundreds of jobs @teamdb.bsky.social
Heineken's latest move to impact hundreds of jobs
Heineken has revealed it has plans to “reshape” its Amsterdam head office as part of a new strategy that will “impact approximately 400 roles” which will see its workforce either face “relocation” or ...
www.thedrinksbusiness.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Perhaps they could move the jobs to a completely different country, but still brand them as "Amsterdam jobs"? Cos Heineken would never do something like that.
Hey presto - no cuts to "Amsterdam jobs"!
Hey presto - no cuts to "Amsterdam jobs"!
Reposted by El Sid
No Safe level? Little scientific support.
JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS, 2025, 20(3), forthcoming
“How Much Is Too Much? A Methodological Investigation of the Literature on Alcohol Consumption and Health”
by Stefano Castriota, Paolo Frumento, and Francesco Suppressa
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS, 2025, 20(3), forthcoming
“How Much Is Too Much? A Methodological Investigation of the Literature on Alcohol Consumption and Health”
by Stefano Castriota, Paolo Frumento, and Francesco Suppressa
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
October 8, 2025 at 5:46 PM
No Safe level? Little scientific support.
JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS, 2025, 20(3), forthcoming
“How Much Is Too Much? A Methodological Investigation of the Literature on Alcohol Consumption and Health”
by Stefano Castriota, Paolo Frumento, and Francesco Suppressa
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS, 2025, 20(3), forthcoming
“How Much Is Too Much? A Methodological Investigation of the Literature on Alcohol Consumption and Health”
by Stefano Castriota, Paolo Frumento, and Francesco Suppressa
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
Make lagers with British #hops - it's the way forward.
(and did you know that Fuggle and Goldings are both close cousins of Hersbrucker?)
(and did you know that Fuggle and Goldings are both close cousins of Hersbrucker?)
NEW VIDEO @everyone!
This week we are at Utopian Brewing, who make world-class traditional continental lagers using all British ingredients – something they were told couldn't be done.
youtu.be/H1HRhgPf5lw
This week we are at Utopian Brewing, who make world-class traditional continental lagers using all British ingredients – something they were told couldn't be done.
youtu.be/H1HRhgPf5lw
Utopian Brewery changed how we think about British ingredients.
YouTube video by The Craft Beer Channel
youtu.be
October 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Make lagers with British #hops - it's the way forward.
(and did you know that Fuggle and Goldings are both close cousins of Hersbrucker?)
(and did you know that Fuggle and Goldings are both close cousins of Hersbrucker?)
This feels important to #brewing and #hops worlds. After 10+ years of work, a Chinese group has characterised the biosynthetic pathway from hops that makes alpha acids, and recreated it in yeast. So yeast can make alpha acids.
1/3
PDF: www.cell.com/plant-commun...
DOI : 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101528
1/3
PDF: www.cell.com/plant-commun...
DOI : 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101528
October 1, 2025 at 3:44 PM
This feels important to #brewing and #hops worlds. After 10+ years of work, a Chinese group has characterised the biosynthetic pathway from hops that makes alpha acids, and recreated it in yeast. So yeast can make alpha acids.
1/3
PDF: www.cell.com/plant-commun...
DOI : 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101528
1/3
PDF: www.cell.com/plant-commun...
DOI : 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101528
Talking of experimental #hops, it's always fascinating seeing the sheer variety you can get not just in cone shape but plant architecture in breeding plots.
This plant had nothing on the bottom 10', but very dense foliage and cones in a tight cylinder above it.
Also note bracts reverting to leaves
This plant had nothing on the bottom 10', but very dense foliage and cones in a tight cylinder above it.
Also note bracts reverting to leaves
September 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Talking of experimental #hops, it's always fascinating seeing the sheer variety you can get not just in cone shape but plant architecture in breeding plots.
This plant had nothing on the bottom 10', but very dense foliage and cones in a tight cylinder above it.
Also note bracts reverting to leaves
This plant had nothing on the bottom 10', but very dense foliage and cones in a tight cylinder above it.
Also note bracts reverting to leaves
On overrated #hops :
“Any of the experimental or newer/unproven or unnamed hop varietals. They promise to have flavors that don’t actually come through on the brew or come across weird. Every now and again they hit, but usually they’re kind of weird and we could live without them.”
“Any of the experimental or newer/unproven or unnamed hop varietals. They promise to have flavors that don’t actually come through on the brew or come across weird. Every now and again they hit, but usually they’re kind of weird and we could live without them.”
We Asked 14 Beer Pros: What Are the Most Overrated and Underrated Hops?
Hops provide a masterclass in the art of deception. The green, conical flowers of the female hops plant may all look the same to the untrained eye. Yet more than 250 varieties have been scientifically...
vinepair.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
On overrated #hops :
“Any of the experimental or newer/unproven or unnamed hop varietals. They promise to have flavors that don’t actually come through on the brew or come across weird. Every now and again they hit, but usually they’re kind of weird and we could live without them.”
“Any of the experimental or newer/unproven or unnamed hop varietals. They promise to have flavors that don’t actually come through on the brew or come across weird. Every now and again they hit, but usually they’re kind of weird and we could live without them.”
Reposted by El Sid
How is this possible?
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
September 3, 2025 at 3:13 PM
How is this possible?
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
Most common #yeast in coffee fermentations is Pichia kluyveri, along with Hanseniaspora spp., Torulaspora delbrueckii, and assorted Kurtzmaniella
Uncovering the Hidden Yeast Diversity in Fermented Coffee: Insights from a Shotgun Metagenomic Approach https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.01.673590v1
September 2, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Most common #yeast in coffee fermentations is Pichia kluyveri, along with Hanseniaspora spp., Torulaspora delbrueckii, and assorted Kurtzmaniella
Reposted by El Sid
Reintroductions backfire by destabilising food webs and triggering further extinction cascades https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.28.672799v1
September 2, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Reintroductions backfire by destabilising food webs and triggering further extinction cascades https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.28.672799v1
From a few months ago, a paper on the tradition of #hop #bread in Bulgaria:
"[hop cones are used in] sourdough starters or “kvass”...this study aims to define traditional preparation of bread with hop sourdough, starting from the preparation of the hop cone decoction."
www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14...
"[hop cones are used in] sourdough starters or “kvass”...this study aims to define traditional preparation of bread with hop sourdough, starting from the preparation of the hop cone decoction."
www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14...
www.mdpi.com
August 31, 2025 at 9:28 AM
From a few months ago, a paper on the tradition of #hop #bread in Bulgaria:
"[hop cones are used in] sourdough starters or “kvass”...this study aims to define traditional preparation of bread with hop sourdough, starting from the preparation of the hop cone decoction."
www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14...
"[hop cones are used in] sourdough starters or “kvass”...this study aims to define traditional preparation of bread with hop sourdough, starting from the preparation of the hop cone decoction."
www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14...
Dickie clearly saw the writing on the wall once the diversification into Condiments for Punks wasn't going so well...
August 23, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Dickie clearly saw the writing on the wall once the diversification into Condiments for Punks wasn't going so well...
Feels like the Sussex-scale version of all the multinationals buying brands with an obvious connection to London - "Brighton" is recognised and has a bit of cool associated with it, and allows Harveys to do the fake-craft thing like everyone else.
Harvey’s Brewery acquires intangible assets of Brighton Bier www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/harv... @teamdb.bsky.social
Harvey’s Brewery acquires intangible assets of Brighton Bier
Lewes-based Harvey’s Brewery has bought the trademarks, recipes and intangible assets of its south coast neighbouring brewery Brighton Bier.
www.thedrinksbusiness.com
July 23, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Feels like the Sussex-scale version of all the multinationals buying brands with an obvious connection to London - "Brighton" is recognised and has a bit of cool associated with it, and allows Harveys to do the fake-craft thing like everyone else.
Reposted by El Sid
'Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies?' | @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies? - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies?
www.nature.com
July 21, 2025 at 8:45 AM
'Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies?' | @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Behind the scenes at Robinsons' ingredient store....
"blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater Manchester."
tinyurl.com/Robbiestruth
"blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater Manchester."
tinyurl.com/Robbiestruth
July 15, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Behind the scenes at Robinsons' ingredient store....
"blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater Manchester."
tinyurl.com/Robbiestruth
"blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater Manchester."
tinyurl.com/Robbiestruth
The Hyde Park Beer Riot of 1855 was up there with the use of a narwhal to quell the London Bridge guy for 'random use of marine life in London history'
According to the Daily Telegraph and Courier of 2 July, “Some of the mob managed to get an enormous eel out of the Serpentine and they commenced throwing it over the heads of the people, and, at last, at the police; two of the constables of the A division at length secured the eel…”
July 1, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The Hyde Park Beer Riot of 1855 was up there with the use of a narwhal to quell the London Bridge guy for 'random use of marine life in London history'
The bonkers genetics of dog roses - they have 5 sets of chromosomes which would normally be unstable and lead to infertility, but two sets pair up and go into both pollen and eggs, three sets don't pair up and only go into eggs.
Biology can be so weird sometimes, but beautiful at the same time.
Biology can be so weird sometimes, but beautiful at the same time.
Nature research paper: Bimodal centromeres in pentaploid dogroses shed light on their unique meiosis
https://go.nature.com/407PRGm
https://go.nature.com/407PRGm
Bimodal centromeres in pentaploid dogroses shed light on their unique meiosis - Nature
Insights into the dogrose genome and centromeres explain their ability to achieve stable sexual reproduction.
go.nature.com
June 18, 2025 at 9:47 PM
The bonkers genetics of dog roses - they have 5 sets of chromosomes which would normally be unstable and lead to infertility, but two sets pair up and go into both pollen and eggs, three sets don't pair up and only go into eggs.
Biology can be so weird sometimes, but beautiful at the same time.
Biology can be so weird sometimes, but beautiful at the same time.
Reposted by El Sid
What is hop creep anyway? A comprehensive study led by Philip Wietstock in collaboration with #Hopsteiner that examines the enzymes involved, and how activity is influenced by hop variety, harvest year and cone part. @tuberlin.bsky.social
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Diastatic Activity of German Hop Cultivars with Respect to Variety, Crop Year, and Separated Hop Cone Parts
Dry hopping of beer can result in unintended refermentation, also known as hop creep, because of intrinsic hop diastatic activity. The objective of the work described herein was to determine the enzymatic activity across 16 different hop cultivars grown in Germany in crop years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Optimized enzyme kit protocols were used to quantitate hop α-, β-amylase, amyloglucosidase, and limit dextrinase activities, while a recently published method measured hop diastatic activity. Clear varietal distinctions exist, and hops of harvests 2019, 2020, and 2021 were subsequently classified into three groups depending on their enzymatic activity. With respect to different harvest years, the results imply an annual influence on the amylolytic activity of hops in principle, but more monitoring is needed. Processing methods such as pelletization and storage under different conditions showed a minimal impact on enzymatic activity. Based on further sampling from hops of the harvest 2022, it was observed that differences among hop fractions are pronounced, with the vegetative material and strig exhibiting higher enzymatic activity compared to the lupulin fraction.
pubs.acs.org
June 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
What is hop creep anyway? A comprehensive study led by Philip Wietstock in collaboration with #Hopsteiner that examines the enzymes involved, and how activity is influenced by hop variety, harvest year and cone part. @tuberlin.bsky.social
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
This is interesting - I've not found anything official from Omega #Yeast but according to this random post on the HBA forum, they're ending sales of their gene-edited 400-series strains (thiolising etc) in homebrew format due to theft...
1/2
#crispr
forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/omega-yeas...
1/2
#crispr
forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/omega-yeas...
Omega Yeast Discontinues 400 Series for Homebrewer's
Effective June 1, 2025 Omega Yeast will discontinue the sale of their 400 series yeast to home brewers, making sales only to professional breweries. The 400 series represents Omega’s efforts in maki...
forum.homebrewersassociation.org
June 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This is interesting - I've not found anything official from Omega #Yeast but according to this random post on the HBA forum, they're ending sales of their gene-edited 400-series strains (thiolising etc) in homebrew format due to theft...
1/2
#crispr
forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/omega-yeas...
1/2
#crispr
forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/omega-yeas...
This is nice - a tour of the Weyermann maltings, and then brewing on their pilot kit, with a night out in Bamberg in between.
I'm not sure I learnt anything earth-shatteringly new, but it's always good to see how others do things.
#beer
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOeG...
I'm not sure I learnt anything earth-shatteringly new, but it's always good to see how others do things.
#beer
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOeG...
May 30, 2025 at 12:25 AM
This is nice - a tour of the Weyermann maltings, and then brewing on their pilot kit, with a night out in Bamberg in between.
I'm not sure I learnt anything earth-shatteringly new, but it's always good to see how others do things.
#beer
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOeG...
I'm not sure I learnt anything earth-shatteringly new, but it's always good to see how others do things.
#beer
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOeG...