by Stephen Popoff
Microbreweries are everywhere these days and it seems there’s an amateur brewer in just about everybody’s family. Some brew in-house and there is no escaping the smell of boiling wort and mashing grains at these larger establishments. At most places, customers can order what’s called “a flight” where they can sample a large selection of what’s on tap and perhaps find a favorite.
It’s a competitive business and sometimes you’ll find two microbreweries on the same street. In this environment, how does one establishment stand out from the other? The answer is a bit complicated but the goal of the master brewer should be to hit that sweet spot and satisfy as many palates as possible. Some like it hoppy, some don’t. Some like it dark, some like it golden.
The fact is there are a lot of variables in brewing beer but the choice of yeast that you use is perhaps the one decision that can set you apart from the crowd. A brewmaster in Oregon discovered that yeast could be derived from his beard and the beers he brewed using this yeast were some of the most popular at his brewery.
William Anderson, a Berkeley brewmaster who also knows how to derive yeast from beards, is hoping his love of brewing beer and concern for the local homeless population will help set his new microbrewery on 4th Street called the Underpass.
According to Anderson, the yeast derived from the human beard falls into what is called the American wild ale style category. He discovered the yeast from different beards resulted in subtle but profound taste changes and this is what provided the brew with its unique terroir, a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect its phenotype.
“The homeless population spends a lot of time outdoors and there’s time for a lot of stuff to accumulate in those beards,” explained Anderson. “That’s what makes it interesting. You never know what you’re going to get but we’ve managed to extract some excellent yeast samples. The beers we’ve created with the yeast from the city’s homeless are superb and unique.”
Anderson pays a generous stipend to those who are willing to donate and the beer menu is getting larger by the day. While we were enjoying a beer called the “tethered shopping cart”, we noticed customers from all over the Bay Area and abroad standing in line to order.
Although Anderson’s Underpass project will not solve the homeless problem, it does provide some immediate cash for those who donate. Plus, the excellent beer choices at the Underpass can help you get through another day in this not so perfect urban environment. Check out the latest menu below. Better hurry while supplies last.
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