By Brittany Anderson
KYLE — There’s nothing like brew-hopping around the Texas Hill Country, and a new yeast lab in Kyle is committed to providing these local breweries with the best strains possible.
Brewing is truly a science, and the “Yeast Beasts” of Southwest Yeast Lab (SWYL) — CEO Carlos Corona, chief technical officer George Parra and chief marketing officer Quinn Robichaux — have got it down to a T.
SWYL held a grand opening on Nov. 12. to showcase its new location and have an opportunity to thank the brewers and community members who have helped them on their journey.
SWYL has operated out of a pilot lab in New Braunfels for the past year. There, they worked with local breweries like Ghost Note and Fitzhugh Brewing in Dripping Springs, BS Brewing in Seguin and others.
SWYL noticed traction during this time, which led them to purchase bigger equipment and move into a larger lab facility in Kyle.
This has brought them closer to brewers they were already working with while also giving them the ability to work with new ones, like Independence Brewing Co. in Austin.
According to the Yeast Beasts, many brewers get yeast strains from out-of-state providers, which isn’t always the most effective option.
As a living organism, liquid yeast must be shipped cold and overnight so it doesn’t die or decrease in viability during transit. Sometimes, this requires the transportation of multiple five to 10 gallon sized bags, which can lead to expensive shipping rates.
This is where SWYL comes in: by providing breweries with a local yeast source and free shipping, they eliminate high expenses for these brewers — potentially saving them thousands of dollars — while supplying them with delicious strains made right here in the community.
SWYL produces ten strains, giving brewers plenty of options to craft their own unique brews, with everything from clean, crisp flavors and fruity notes to Belgian and wheat styles. Yeast from the lab’s German strain, The Einstein, was even brought back from Germany.
The lab also does ABV testing for local alcohol brands with a turnaround time as short as one day, will bank “house” strains and also offers yeast viability checks and foreign beer strain extractions.
For more information, visit www.southwestyeast.com.
