Oregon Wants Official Microbe To Celebrate Beer Industry

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a kind of yeast used in beer. State representative Mark Johnson thinks making it Oregon's official microbe is a great way to celebrate the state's craft beer industry.

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm David Greene.

Its state bird is a Western Meadowlark. Its state tree is Douglas Fir. Now Oregon wants a state microbe. Saccharomyces cerevisiae - try saying that twice - is a kind of yeast used in beer. And State Representative Mark Johnson thinks making it Oregon's official microbe is a great way to celebrate the state's craft beer industry. Oregon is also proud of its wine. A type of dirt that's used to grow pinot noire grapes is the state's official soil.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.