PINT OF SCIENCE FESTIVAL
19-21 MAY 2025
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Come meet Jo Olluyn, head brewer at Tall Poppy brewery. Ever wondered how they make beer and why they would choose one yeast instead of another? Take a deep dive in the most iconic drink of Belgium.
The Art of Overthinking
Jo Olluyn
ex-brewer
Tall Poppy Brewing company
We've been brewing beer for almost ten thousand years, and for most of that time, we had no idea what we were doing. As our scientific knowledge grew, we came to understand and master the science behind beer. From cell alchemy to chemistry, from a prayer to Saint Arnoldus all the way to the perfect yeast pitch rate, we've disassembled beer, to better reassemble it just the way we want it. With all our knowledge and the scientific arsenal at our disposal, could it be that we are overthinking beer?
The Chihuahua and the Wolf
Jo Olluyn
ex-brewer
Tall Poppy Brewing company
Yeast. Gift of the gods. The magical ingredient that transforms cloyingly sweet wort into a frothing pint. For centuries, we've treated this dearly beloved fungus with reverence and mystical awe. With the help of science, we've harnessed and tamed this little creature, and from it, bred a host of domesticated offspring.
But what if we told you that, out there in the forest, the bare-fanged ancestor of our pale-faced lab-bred yeast still prowls the vats of many a rural brewer?
