Thiols in Context: Temperature, Nitrogen, Yeast Strain, and the Bigger Picture

Thiol biotransformation has become a central topic in hop-forward brewing, yet focusing solely on thiol yields risks overlooking the complex interplay of brewing parameters that shape the final beer. This webinar takes a holistic approach, exploring how fermentation temperature and nitrogen availability influence thiol release, how yeast strain selection affects the balance between thiol and ester profiles, and why optimizing for thiols alone may lead to unintended trade-offs in beer character. Attendees will leave with a broader framework for understanding and controlling thiol expression in the context of the overall fermentation environment. About the speakers Dr. Thomas Shellhammer is the Nor’Wester Professor of Fermentation Science at Oregon State University, where he leads research, teaching, and outreach focused on beer and hop quality. Over the past 24 years, his work has examined how hop chemistry and quality, combined with brewing processes, impact beer flavor. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed and technical papers and given more than 300 presentations worldwide. Dr. Shellhammer is a past president of both the American Society of Brewing Chemists and the District NW Master Brewers Association, and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists and the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. Dr. Cécile Chenot received her Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Namur (Belgium) in 2016 and a specialized Master’s in Brewing Engineering from UCLouvain (Belgium) in 2017. She completed her Ph.D. under Prof. S. Collin on polyfunctional thiols, identifying new hop-derived precursors and studying their release during fermentation. After 18 months as a postdoctoral researcher in the same group, she joined the Shellhammer Lab at OSU (Oregon) in 2024, where she studies hop aging and thiol chemistry.