New hybrid yeast strain Gulo Ale released

The Chicago-based company released a new hybrid yeast, Gulo^TM Ale. This new tool was created by their Research and Development team by mating two strains in the Omega catalog, the Irish Ale (OYL-005) and the French Saison (OYL-026). It is a true genetic hybrid rather than a blend of the two strains.

“We’re thrilled with how this new hybrid turned out,” said Omega Yeast Co-Owner and Founder, Lance Shaner. “The genetic makeup of this strain allows it to consume a high percentage of sugars, creating a very dry beer, without giving off any peppery, clove phenolics that are typically associated with saisons and Belgian ales.”

The Brut IPA, a dry, effervescent and pale beer, has recently become a favorite style within the company. Typically to make a Brut IPA, brewers need to add glucoamylase enzymes to break down the dextrins left behind by ale yeast into fermentable sugars. The R&D team was curious if they could brew this style without the enzyme. This led them to crossing the French Saison strain, known for high attenuation, with the non-phenolic Irish Ale strain, producing the new strain now named Gulo Ale which can create a clean-flavored fruity ale that yields roughly 90% apparent attenuation without the use of additional glucoamylase enzyme. To obtain a 100% dry beer, the addition of glucoamylase would still be needed, however. In addition to Brut IPAs, the new yeast strain can also be used for other IPA styles, a stout, Bière de Garde and any other style where a very dry beer without phenolics is desired.