Hops and malt may get most of the attention when craft beer fans begin discussing the production details of their favorite brews, but yeast also plays a critical role in creating any beer’s unique flavor profile. An upstart Chicago company is now helping craft and homebrewers, alike, lean into their creativity with strains coming from all around the globe.

Their success has led to growth – and a new headquarters and production facility on the city’s Northwest side. Its clean-lined exterior design is emphasized through the use of architectural metal wall panels to delineate the interior space dedicated to labs and production.

Chicago has been home to a number of craft brewers since the movement’s early days. As an early center of German emigration, the city had a deep history in the brewing industry that faded in the mid-20th century. That began to shift as that century came to a close, and those producers began clamoring for new suppliers of the yeast vital to their small-batch (in brewing standards) IPAs, lagers and ales.

In 2013, startup Omega Yeast stepped in to meet that demand, and it since has grown into one of the nation’s largest producers. Unlike companies serving big-name brewers, Omega’s yeasts are developed to order, and its researchers have gathered strains from as far away as Norway and Lithuania.

The company’s success has led to expansion. With the purchase of a residential lot behind its original storefront, Omega was able to create custom research and production space. The Chicago office of design firm Valerio Dewalt Train created a plan that helps the facility fit within a context that’s both urban and residential, bordered by both homes and raised commuter rail tracks.

To help the residentially oriented façades disappear behind landscaping, designers opted for architectural metal cladding, specifying Petersen as their supplier. In all, 6,015 sq. ft. of the company’s PAC-CLAD 7/8” Corrugated panels in Matte Black and 1,080 sq. ft. of the same profile – all in .032-gauge aluminum – in Bone White were installed by All American Exterior Solutions of Lake Zurich, Ill. These versatile exposed-fastener panels can be used for a variety of applications, including roofs, walls and linear installations.

Photography credit: alanblakely.com