2012 Redux: Embracing the Chaos, The Science of Sour Beers

Tom Mansell
Features
Editor's Note: Our Science Editor, Tom Mansell, explored the world of sour beers after a visit to the Great American Beer Festival. From fermentation to aging, Tom described sour beers as a bridge between the beer and wine worlds. This article is a must read for wine drinkers and beer drinkers alike who feel they just "don't get" the other side. –Ryan Reichert, Managing Editor

The Top Ten Microbes in Your Wine

Erika Szymanski
archive, FCG, Features, Wine Science
21
From a certain point of view, winemakers don’t make wine; yeast and bacteria do. Juice becomes wine by the miracle that is fermentation, the conversion of sugar to alcohol and other compounds. Since I’ve yet to see a human person ingest sugar and expectorate alcohol (whoa…don’t follow that mental image), winemakers must delegate this key operation to yeast.