Yeasty Beasties…Simple! Ale Strains Lager Strains Wheat Strains Special Cultures Vintner’s Choice Yeasts

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Yeasty Beasties Made Simple:

In this monthly feature we’ll give you as much practical, (and maybe some extraneous), information about yeast as possible… Hopefully it’ll answers your questions to the fullest! This month we look at the commercially available Wyeast cultures. These are the most up to date descriptions we could get from their laboratories. Yeast Characteristics of the popular Y-yeast (liquid cultures)

***Profiles and average fermentation characteristics of each yeast strain.

ALE YEASTS

1007 German ale yeast. Ferments dry and crisp, leaving a complex but mild flavor. Produces an extremely rocky head and ferments well down to 55* F. Flocculation – low; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (55-66* )

1028 London ale yeast. Rich, minerally profile, bold and crisp, with some diacetyl production. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (60-72* F)

1056 American ale yeast. Used commercially for several classic American ales,(Sierra Nevada). This strain ferments dry, finishes soft, smooth and clean, and Is very well balanced. Flocculation low to medium; apparent attenuation 73-77%. (60-72* F).

1084 Irish ale yeast. Slight residual diacetyl and fruitiness; great for stouts. Clean, smooth, soft and full-bodied. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 71-75%. (62-72* F)

1098 British ale yeast. (From Whitbread). Ferments dry and crisp, slightly tart, fruity and well-balanced. Ferments well down to 65*F. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 73-75%. (64-72* F)

1272 American ale yeast II. Fruitier and more flocculent than 1056, slightly nutty, soft, clean, slightly tart finish. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 72-76%. (60-72* F)

1275 Thames Valley ale yeast. Produces classic British bitters, rich complex flavor profile, clean, light malt character, low fruitiness, low esters, well-balanced. Flocculation medium; apparent attenuation – 72-76%. (62-72* F)

1335 British ale yeast II. Typical of British and Canadian ale fermentation profile with good flocculating and malty flavor characteristics, crisp finish, clean, fairly dry. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 73-76%. (63-75* F)

1318 London ale yeast III. From traditional London brewery with great malt and hop profile. True top cropping strain, fruity, very light, soft balanced palate, finishes slightly sweet. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 71-75%. (64-74* F)

1728 Scottish ale yeast. Ideally suited for Scottish-style ales, and high-gravity ales of all types. Gives some vinous flavors. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation 69-73%. (55-70* F)

1338 European ale yeast. From Wissenschaftliche in Munich. Full-bodied complex strain finishing very malty. Produces a dense, rocky head during fermentation. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 67-71%. (60-72* F)

1214 Belgian ale yeast. Abbey-style top-fermenting yeast, suitable for high-gravity beers. Estery. Flocculation medium; apparent attenuation – 72-76%. (58-68* F)

1388 Belgian strong ale yeast. Robust flavor yeast with moderate to high alcohol tolerance. Fruity nose and palate, dry, tart finish. Flocculation – low; apparent attenuation 73-77%. (65-75* F)

1742 Swedish ale yeast. Stark beer Nordic- style yeast of Scandinavian origin, floral nose malty finish. Flocculation medium; apparent attenuation – 68-72%. (64-74′ F) A.K.A. 1187.

1762 Belgian Abbey Yeast II. High gravity yeast with distinct warming character from ethanol production. Slightly fruity with dry finish. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 73-77% (65-75* F)

1968 London ESB ale yeast. Highly flocculent top-fermenting strain with rich, malty character and balanced fruitiness. This strain Is so flocculent that additional aeration and agitation is needed. An excellent strain for cask-conditioned ales. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 67-71%. (64-72* F)

2565 Kölsch yeast. A hybrid of ale and lager characteristics. This strain develops excellent maltiness with subdued fruitiness, and a crisp finish. Ferments well at moderate temperatures. Flocculation – low; apparent attenuation – 7377%. (56-64* F)

1087 Wyeast ale blend. A blend of the best ale strains to provide quick starts, good flavor and good flocculation. Apparent attenuation – 71-75%. (64-72* F)

3278 Belgian Lambic blend. Belgian Lambic-style yeast blend with lactic bacteria. Rich earthy aroma and acidic finish. Suitable for gueze, fruit beers and faro. Flocculation – low to medium-, apparent attenuation – 65-75%. (63-75′ F)

LAGER YEASTS

2007 Pilsen lager yeast. A classic American pilsner ,strain, smooth, malty palate. Ferments dry and crisp. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 71-75%. (48-56* F)

2035 American lager yeast. Not a pilsner strain. Bold, complex and aromatic, producing slight diacetyl. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (48-58* F)

2042 Danish lager yeast. Rich, Dortmund-style, crisp, dry finish. Soft profile accentuates hop characteristics. Flocculation – low; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (46-56* F)

2112 California lager yeast. Particularly suited for producing 19th century-style West Coast beers. Retains lager characteristics at temperatures up to 65′ F, and produces malty, brilliantly-clear beers. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 67-71%. (58-68* F)

2124 Bohemian lager yeast. A pilsner yeast from Weihenstephen. Ferments clean and malty, with rich residual maltiness in full gravity pilsners. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation 69-73%. (46-54* F)

2206 Bavarian lager yeast. Used by many German breweries,(thought to be Spatens) to produce rich, full-bodied, malty beers. Flocculation: medium; apparent attenuation 73-77%.(48-58* F)

2247 Danish lager yeast II. Clean dry flavor profile often used in aggressively hopped pilsner. Clean, very mild flavor, slight sulfur production, dry finish. Flocculation – low; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (46-56* F)

2272 North American lager yeast. Traditional culture of North American and Canadian lagers and light pilsners. Malty finish. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation 70-76%. (48-56* F)

2278 Czech pils yeast. Classic pilsner strain from the home of pilsners; for a dry, but malty finish. The good choice for pilsners and bock beers. Sulfur produced during fermentation dissipates with conditioning. Flocculation medium to high; apparent attenuation – 70-74%. (48-64* F)

2308 Munich lager yeast. A unique strain, capable of producing fine lagers. Very smooth, well-rounded and full-bodied. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation 73-77%. (48-56* F)

2178 Wyeast lager blend. A blend of the Brewer’s Choice lager strains for the most complex flavor profiles. Apparent attenuation – 71-75%. (48-56* F)

WHEAT YEAST

3068 Weihenstephan weizen yeast. Unique top-fermenting yeast which produces the unique and spicy weizen character, rich with clove, vanilla and banana. Best results are achieved when fermentations are held around 68* F. Flocculation – low; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (64-70* F)

3056 Bavarian wheat yeasts. Blend of top-fermenting ale and wheat strains producing mildly estery and phenolic wheat beers. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 73-77%. (64-70* F)

3333 German wheat yeast. Subtle flavor profile for wheat yeast with sharp tart crispness, fruity, sherry-like palate. Flocculation – high; apparent attenuation – 70-76%. (63-75* F)

3787 Trappist high gravity. Robust top cropping yeast with phenolic character. Alcohol tolerance to 12%. Ideal for Biere de Garde. Ferments dry with rich ester profile and malty palate. Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation 75-80% (64-78* F)

3942 Belgian wheat beer. Estery low phenol producing yeast from small Belgian brewery. Apple and plum like nose with dry finish. Flocculation: medium; apparent attenuation – 72-76%. (64-74* F)

3944 Belgian Witbier yeast. A tart, slightly phenolic character capable of producing distinctive witbiers and grand cru-style ales alike. Alcohol tolerant, Flocculation – medium; apparent attenuation – 72-76%. (60-75* F)

VINTNERS CHOICE YEASTS

3021 Prisse de mousse, Institute Pasteur champagne yeast race bayanus. Crisp and dry, ideal for sparkling and still white wines and fruit wines. Low foaming, excellent barrel fermentation, good flocculating characteristics. Ferments well at low (55-65* F) temperatures. Can be used for high-gravity beers. Attenuation high.

3028 French (Bordeaux) wine yeast. Ideally suited for red and white wines which mature rapidly or bigger reds requiring aging. Moderate foaming, low sulfur production over a wide temperature range. Enhances the fruity characteristics of most wines. Attenuation medium. (65-90* F)

3134 Sake yeast. For use in conjunction with koji in the production of a wide variety of Asian jius (rice-based beverages). Full-bodied profile with true sake character. (65-75* F)

3184 Sweet mead yeast. Top-fermenting yeast which leaves residual sugar after fermentation. Needs nutrient added to mead. Attenuation low. (65-75* F)

3632 Dry mead yeast. Classic mead yeast for a dry finish. Low-foaming with little or no sulfur production. Attenuation high. (55-75* F)

4007 Malo-lactic culture for winemaking. Leuconostoc oenos blend isolated from western Oregon wineries. Includes strains Ey2d and Erla. Excellent for high acid wines and low pH. Softens wines by converting harsh malic acid to milder lactic acid. Can be added to juice any time after the onset of yeast fermentation when sulfur dioxide is less than 15 ppm. (55-75* F)