Beer history
The wild parent of lager yeast is identified
Saccharomyces eubayanus, the cold-tolerant parent of lager yeast, was found in Patagonian forests — nearly five centuries after the hybrid began brewing beer.
Lager yeast is a hybrid of the familiar ale species and a cold-tolerant one that nobody had found in the wild. Its identification changed how the origin of lager is told: cold fermentation was a chance hybridisation rather than a selection from local European flora.
Why it matters
A recent finding that rewrote the origin story of the world’s dominant beer type.
How well this is established
| Certainty | Documented. Supported by contemporary records that survive and are agreed on. |
|---|---|
| When | 2011. Known to the year rather than to the day. |
Either side of this
← 2010: Alcohol-free brewing becomes credible · 2011: Large brewers begin acquiring craft breweries →
See the whole sequence on the beer history timeline.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.