[kevinqiu1]

But has it been optimized for taste? Or for the marketplace and maximum profit? You mention the tomato. If you've ever had a fresh heirloom tomato I think you'd agree that they're much more delicious than the "optimized" tomatoes from the local chain supermarket. However, the supermarket tomato is a lot easier to grow and lasts longer in storage and transport. We're just seeing people with the knowledge and money demanding taste and a general cultural shift in that direction (all the artisanal products that have been cropping up). Because in the last 100 years, we've optimized for profit and the global supply chain rather than taste. Nothing wrong with either IMO, it depends on what you want. Delicious tomatoes, or having tomatoes in January.

Specifically regarding yeast though, spontaneously fermented beers have very interesting and IMO delicious flavors going on, but it'd be impossible to make such beers on a Budweiser scale, by definition it's more of an art and not an industrial process.