What is better than a cold Beer during a hot summer? Scientists at the Belgium’s University of Leuven and the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology are characterizing some 200 Belgian beers to assess what chemicals produce the flavors and aromas.

They want to learn about the chemical and genetic basis of beer flavor to breed Yeast strains that generate unique qualities coveted by brewers and drinkers. The lab is also publishing the genomes of some 150 yeast strains used to make beer, sake and other fermented products, a project done in collaboration with a leading supplier of yeast to brewers and a synthetic-biology firm.

In the lab’s freezers more than 30,000 types of yeast are collected, including 1,000 strains used by brewers, bakers and others worldwide, and another 1,000 wild isolates from fruit, flowers, insects and even people.

Using a robot, the lab generates many more strains than it can analyze or use in its taste tests. Therefore, the researchers are developing micro-fluidic chips that can brew with 2,000 different yeasts at a time in 20-picolitre batches, each of which contains a single yeast cell and automatically test for alcohol content and the aroma compounds produced and they are also thinking about the scale up. Drinking is not just for fun!