Sign in

El Sid

@elsid.bsky.social
125 followers 150 following 655 posts

The state of the world has driven me to drink.... Trying to stick more to beer here, but we'll see how that goes. @El__Sid in that other place, @ElSid@mastodon.beer

PostsRepliesMedia
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 17h
Perhaps the most shocking bit of this piece on deliberately breeding rice to optimise it for brewing is that a sensory panel of Germans preferred a N/A beer made with 70% rice, a US panel preferred one with 30% rice. Presumably Reinheitsgebot doesn't apply to 0% products - give 🇩🇪 what they want!
020
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
INRA sequence genomes of several Metschnikowia species (used in wine and rarely as secondary 'flavour' yeast in beer, Yeast Bay sell one) to find they're all part of the M. pulcherrima family, but M. leonuri and chrysopulae appear to be triploid hybrids with an unknown relative of M. citrensis
121
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
www.thetimes.com/uk/london/ar...
thetimes.com
The right to enjoy a pint while standing is sacrosanct, council insists
Westminster had been accused of trying to clamp down on ‘vertical drinking’ in Soho, but now says it just needed to improve its communication
031
Reposted by El Sid
Stan Hieronymus @stanhieronymus.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Climate change, anybody? How about some Saaz* with only 1.8% alpha acids? *Full disclosure. Not Saaz in photo. hopqueries.com/very-bad-new...
hopqueries.com
Very bad news from European hop fields - HOP QUERIES
For the second time in five years, hop production across Europe has tumbled as a result of an intense heat wave and below average rainfall. – The Association of German Hop Growers estimates they will ...
1107
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
...meh?
000
Reposted by El Sid
Brian Gibson @briangibsontub.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
reveev.com/a-black-fung...
reveev.com
A black fungus is thriving in the midst of Ireland’s whiskey boom – we need to know more about it
The fungus appears to feed on the airborne alcohol vapours produced during whiskey maturation....
012
Reposted by El Sid
Earth BioGenome Project 🌍 @ebpgenome.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
🧬 The VGP Phase I preprint is out! 🎉 The Vertebrate Genomes Project has completed Phase I, delivering 816 of the highest-quality vertebrate reference genomes ever produced. Explore this major new resource for vertebrate genomics: 📄 tinyurl.com/VGPphase1 @vertebrategenomes.bsky.social #Genomics
Graphic featuring a collage of diverse vertebrates, including a chameleon, sea turtle, frog, whale, bat, duck, axolotl, shark, echidna, salamander, bird, tropical fish, leopard, crocodile, cassowary, clownfish, Komodo dragon, snake and deep-sea fish. Text reads: “A New Milestone for Vertebrate Genomics.” The Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP) has completed Phase I, delivering 816 high-quality reference genomes spanning 95% of vertebrate orders.Underwater photograph of a humpback whale swimming beneath the ocean surface. Text reads: “Why Vertebrates? More than 70,000 vertebrate species inhabit our planet.” High-quality reference genomes help researchers understand evolution, biodiversity, conservation and adaptation.
13225
Reposted by El Sid
Chris Fiscus @fiscuscj.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
New paper out in PNAS! 🍇🧬 Vitis phylogenomics is a tangled vine. Highlights: • ~14% of the average grape genome comes from introgression • Two classic “hybrid species” are better described as hybrid swarms • Repeated adaptation is fueled by introgression and standing genetic variation
pnas.org
The dynamics of introgression and parallel adaptation across North American Vitis species | PNAS
Hybridization between species can contribute to parallel adaptive events. However, the prevalence of introgression is rarely measured across multip...
14220
Reposted by El Sid
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 03/08/2026
"Kew Gardens has had a weather station since 1871. This July was, based on third party analysis of Met Office data collected at the site, the first calendar month on record where no rainfall was measured at Kew."
londoncentric.media
London's first month without rain
Plus: There's nowhere to bury the dead • London wants to keep its money • When will it stop being so damn hot • Who is to blame for turning off the air conditioning in the tower block?
8545292
Reposted by El Sid
Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Lebleux et al. investigated diversity in Maudiozyma humilis, the second most frequently encountered yeast species in sourdough bread, challenging the hypothesis that increases in ploidy are necessarily beneficial in domesticated species. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag176 #societyjournal #evolution
doi.org
Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity of Maudiozyma humilis: The Multiple Evolutionary Trajectories of a Domesticated Yeast
Abstract. Maudiozyma humilis is the second most frequently encountered yeast species in sourdough bread. Despite its ecological and food relevance, little
122
Reposted by El Sid
The Sainsbury Laboratory @thesainsburylab.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
PRESS RELEASE: UK's first precision bred potato receives marketing notice approval under the new regulatory framework Disease-resistant Maris Piper potatoes are now a step closer to farmers, built on decades of plant science research by @jonathandgjones.bsky.social and his team. buff.ly/jut0bX0
tsl.ac.uk
TSL's Disease-Resistant Potato Approved as Precision Bred
Landmark regulatory approval paves the way for a Maris Piper which has the biological capability to resist late blight and potato viruses, thus dramatically reducing the need for chemical control.
052
Reposted by El Sid
Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 24/07/2026
2026 is on track to be the warmest (~35% chance) or second warmest (~63%) year on record, while 2027 is very likely (92% chance) to be the warmest on record on the back of a growing super El Niño event. For more, check out my new Carbon Brief State of the Climate Q2 update: www.carbonbrief.org/...
7312161
Reposted by El Sid
Forest Research @forestresearchuk.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
🔍 Looking closely at a hawthorn leaf could help support important tree health research. Learn how to take part and where to send your observations: 🔗 ow.ly/w0bS50ZrhmV #CitizenScience #Hawthorn #TreeHealth #PlantHealth
ow.ly
Volunteers sought to help safeguard the future of UK hedgerows - Forest Research
a new national research initiative is calling on volunteers to help strengthen our understanding of hawthorn resilience in a changing world.
032
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A little toasty in Turkmenistan right now ....
021
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Take your eggs down to Holborn : "the tarmac at roadworks in Holborn, central London, registered 65C (149F)" www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7... Going back to Steve's original point, I suspect a factor is that the junior journalists on these stories don't see many eggs being fried in their households
020
Reposted by El Sid
Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 26/06/2026
Yes, less humid and much cooler nights in 1976. Peak night time temperatures were around 16°C back then.
1205
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
"From Thursday to Sunday, [Sam Adams] said the Tartan Army drank four times as much Boston Lager as it normally sells during a typical four-day holiday stretch like the Fourth of July." (and they drank the taproom dry) www.nbcnews.com/sports/socce...
nbcnews.com
Are Scottish soccer fans drinking all of the beer in Boston?
The Tartan Army has been drinking a lot of beer for the World Cup, so much so that some Boston bars ran out.
020
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Thanks to @stanhieronymus.bsky.social for pointing out that the paper on the haplotype-resolved genome (ie the best kind) of #hop Apollo has finally been published. Hop genetics are messy & complicated, this is significant as first good genome from the Wye family. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
151
Reposted by El Sid
Sabine Brumm @binebrumm.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
#Microscopyfriday A while ago, I was looking for phenotypes in my barley mutants and thought the length of the rachilla hairs could be changed. Was not the case but the resulting SEM pictures were still beautiful. Side fact I learned on the way: rachillas can be used as barley cultivar indicators
Picture of the bottom half of a barley seed, taken with a table top Scanning Electron Microscope (30x magnification). Focus was on a small, hairy structure called the rachilla
0123
Reposted by El Sid
Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Deep time: James Hutton, Scottish Enlightenment naturalist, founder of modern geology, born #OTD 1726; pioneer of uniformitarianism, his landmark work Theory of the Earth recognised importance of gradual natural processes in formation of earth’s crust.300th Portrait by Raeburn 1776 ALT N.G. Scotland
Deep time: James Hutton, Scottish Enlightenment naturalist, founder of modern geology, born #OTD 1726; pioneer of uniformitarianism, his landmark work Theory of the Earth (1788 / 2 vols 1795) recognised importance of gradual natural processes in formation of earth’s crust. #Hutton300
Portrait by Raeburn 1776, National Galleries Scotland
Tercentenary Hutton Deep Time Trail Siccar Point
Scottish Geology Trust
05114
Reposted by El Sid
Eiko Fried @eikofried.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I wish I could write like this. And I wish Lindy West wrote tutorial papers in psychometrics. (Source: Lindy West, 2019 essay collection 'The Witches Are Coming')
742313326
Reposted by El Sid
Ralph Hückelhoven @huckelhovenr.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Barley produces high amounts of phenylalanine- and tryptophan-derived secondary metabolites, including hydorxycinnamic acid amides as well as related hordatines in response to Fusarium Head Blight. Multiomics finds this as the most consistent response over four diverse genotypes. rdcu.be/fl4uO
rdcu.be
Multi-omics of barley Fusarium Head Blight converge on pathogen-triggered biosynthesis of aromatic amino acid derived chemical defense compounds
0109
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Interesting how media awareness of hops vs climate change is spreading. Saaz is an interesting case as the biggest aroma hop in the world by acreage and >80% of Czechia, but tough to breed. I've been saying for years lager hops are a big opportunity for UK industry, but brewers need encouragement
042
Reposted by El Sid
Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 25/05/2026
Kew Gardens broke its all-time June temperature record in May.
48149
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
#yeast
010
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Looking back, closing their web shop was one sign that Greene King were losing interest in small pack....
010
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Fulfilling my obligations both to May and to local landmark photography...
Pint of Harvey XX Mild with Harvey-etched window behind Classic view of Harvey's brewery
010
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
At last, the ideal mission for the much-maligned Boulton Paul Defiant...
Boulton Paul Defiant in a hangar. Single- engined turret fighter of early WWII designed to shoot down unescorted bombers, but a liability once German fighters could reach southern England from bases in northern France.
010
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Fun idea - raising money for a conservation charity on Earth Day (22 April) with beer delivered from brewery to bar on foot, by handcart.
021
Reposted by El Sid
Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Finally, after 8.5 years, this massive new farmhouse yeast paper is out! We've analyzed no less than 1760 yeast samples, and discovered that there is more farmhouse yeast than all known modern beer yeast put together. New results about contamination, too. www.garshol.priv.no/blog/440.html
garshol.priv.no
What's in a Farmhouse Yeast? | Larsblog
Personal blog of Lars Marius Garshol.
15412
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Coming late to this, but I'm a sucker for a hop rescue story....
030
Reposted by El Sid
Tasting Craft Beer @tastingcraftbeer.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Malt bag backpack! This sturdy backpack is made from used malt bags and scrap car seatbelts. You get to choose between different maltsters and malt varieties, so I went for some of my favorites. These cool bags are made by Marjolijn Kroon: www.marjolijnkroon.nl
A mostly Weyermann based malt bag backpack with scrap car seatbelts The laptop pouch on the inside is from Holland Malt, showing some Munich malt bag details.
3186
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
One for all those who complain about "Pubs these days, serving coffee like they think they're Starbucks! What happened to pubs that just serve beer like In The Good Old Days..."
100
Reposted by El Sid
Kristoffer Krogerus @suregork.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
In our recent study, we created over 1000 intraspecific yeast hybrids by crossing genetically diverse strains and tested how well they grow under harsh industrial conditions such as high ethanol, salt, and organic acids. enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Influence of Ploidy and Genetic Background on Stress Tolerance of Intraspecific Yeast Hybrids
A large set of intraspecific yeast hybrids was constructed using two strategies that yielded series of hybrids with variable ploidy. Phenotyping of the hybrids was carried out in high-stress media to....
1117
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
University of Liverpool deny cutbacks have affected their Beatles MA.... [which is a real thing, share.google/W2f2IUPn5Ea0... ]
010
Reposted by El Sid
Saccharomyces Genome Database @yeastgenome.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
🍺 Fixing brewing #Yeast! 🧬 Experimental evolution corrects mother-daughter separation defects in ale strain over 200 generations: ✅ fewer large clusters ✅ reduced foam accumulation during fermentation 🧪 #YeastResearch #SGD #MoreGoodPours @micropub7n.bsky.social www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
045
Reposted by El Sid
American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) @brewingchemists.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
A recent article in @NatGeo highlights how scientists in Belgium are using machine learning to rethink how great-tasting beer is created—especially without alcohol. bit.ly/4syOU5X Learn how this technology works in our April 13 webinar: bit.ly/4b1VLP6
bit.ly
Inside the quest to build the ultimate nonalcoholic beer
Scientists in Belgium—that celebrated bastion of ancient beer culture—are harnessing genetic breakthroughs and machine learning to reimagine how great booze gets built. Here’s how their revelations in...
022
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
The thread you need on cocoa pollination...
000
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Farmers growing agaves for tequila facing an extreme version of the problems of other perennial "drink" crops like wine/cider/hops - 7 years to maturity makes it hard to respond to recent swings in demand, regulation restricts ability to change varieties/geography to respond to pest & disease.
020
Reposted by El Sid
Patrick Bryant @patrickbryant1.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Introducing The Structural History of Eukarya (SHE): The first proteome-scale phylogeny constructed entirely from 3D structure. We computed 300 trillion alignments across 1,542 species to map the tree of life. 🧵👇 (1/5)
28439
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
"•Age trends reviewed across 16 key cognitive and personality-related dimensions. •Age trajectories varied widely: some traits declined, others improved with age. •Overall cognitive-personality functioning peaks between ages 55 and 60."
020
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Explaining Wetherspoons #pubs to the US - "imagine Denny’s and a Greyhound bus station have unprotected sex, and the baby is raised by carpet" Why am I not surprised that he's the kind of person who parks his pickup in the disabled parking at Spoons?
030
Reposted by El Sid
H. B. Beryl Rappaport @hbrappap.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth! #protistsonsky 🧵
16506166
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
The PCA have released the full tables of their pub tenant survey following the release of the summary in May. It may feel abstruse to the average pubgoer, but so much of what's wrong in UK pubs comes down to the tenant-pubco relationship being screwed www.pubscodeadjudicator.org.uk/tied-tenant-...
Chart summarising tenant satisfaction with the main UK pub groups - Admiral and Green King are high, Stonegate and Punch at the bottom
110
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Big news @beervana.bsky.social - there will be a UK-Oregon working group!! As usual "strong historic and cultural links" is UK diplomatic talk for "we invaded you, colonised you and either massacred most of your forefathers directly or wiped them out with disease" www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Memorandum of understanding on trade and economic co-operation between the United Kingdom and the State of Oregon
120
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Immediate reactions from UK green hop at Spa Valley - great year for Goldings, but more are doing Ernest to greater or lesser success. Challenger notably lemony rather than orangey this year. Shame other varieties brewed by 'lesser' breweries but enjoyed their efforts even if mostly unsuccessful.
130
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
This paper is nuts - high quality (near-T2T) genomes for 1,086 isolates of yeast (S. cerevisiae), then analysing them (GWAS) for linkage to 8,391 traits. Yeast is great for showing how evolution works in detail as it has a small genome, many strains with different histories & well characterised.
110
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Oktoberfest 1914/1940. It just depends on your definition of Greater Bavaria...
130
El Sid @elsid.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Perhaps they could move the jobs to a completely different country, but still brand them as "Amsterdam jobs"? Cos Heineken would never do something like that. Hey presto - no cuts to "Amsterdam jobs"!
000
Reposted by El Sid
American Association of Wine Economists AAWE @wineecon.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
No Safe level? Little scientific support. JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS, 2025, 20(3), forthcoming “How Much Is Too Much? A Methodological Investigation of the Literature on Alcohol Consumption and Health” by Stefano Castriota, Paolo Frumento, and Francesco Suppressa www.cambridge.org/core/service...
174