Yeast

Main articles: Brewer's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces uvarum

Yeast is the microorganism that is responsible for fermentation in beer. Yeast m
etabolises the sugars extracted from grains, which produces alcohol and carbon d
ioxide, and thereby turns wort into beer. In addition to fermenting the beer, ye
ast influences the character and flavour.[62]
The dominant types of yeast used to make beer are the top-fermenting Saccharomyc
es cerevisiae and bottom-fermenting Saccharomyces uvarum.[63] Brettanomyces ferm
ents lambics,[64] and Torulaspora delbrueckii ferments Bavarian weissbier.[65]
Before the role of yeast in fermentation was understood, fermentation involved w
ild or airborne yeasts. A few styles such as lambics rely on this method today,
but most modern fermentation adds pure yeast cultures.[66]