Mastering Beer Flavor: A Guide To Yeast Selection

Choosing the right yeast for your beer is a critical step in the homebrew process. There are two predominant yeasts used in brewing; Saccharomyces cerveisiae or ale yeast, and Saccharomyces pastorianus or lager yeast. Ale yeast works best at room temperature and produces fruity characteristics that you would expect in many ales. Flocculation, a yeast’s ability to clump and settle at the end of fermentation, can help determine the clarity of the beer.

Flocculation

When selecting a yeast strain, it is also important to consider flavor and aroma characteristics, production of fermentation byproducts, rate of fermentation, style appropriateness, and the brewer’s experience with the strain. Selecting a yeast according to its name is unlikely to steer you too far away from where you’d like to be, but it is still important to look at certain performance indicators to make sure your chosen strain is up to the job.

In very simple terms, there are two predominant yeasts used in brewing; Saccharomyces cerveisiae or ale yeast, and Saccharomyces pastorianus or lager yeast. Ale yeast works best at room temperature (18-22°C or 64-71°F) and produces the slightly ‘fruity’ characteristics that you would expect in many ales. Lager yeast is best used in American IPAs but works well in English style ales.

Choosing the right strain of yeast arguably makes the biggest difference in how your end beer turns out. The best of both worlds is a clean house that allows malt and hops to shine. This strain is extremely versatile and flocculent enough to drop out of the beer quickly.

Attenuation

Choosing the right yeast for your beer is a critical step in the homebrew process. Each strain of yeast, which creates the sugar and flavour for your beer, is different. And the vast variety of yeast strains can be overwhelming.

The most obvious distinction to make in yeast strains is whether it is a lager or an ale strain. In very simple terms, there are two predominant yeasts used in brewing; Saccharomyces cerveisiae or ale yeast, and Saccharomyces pastorianus or lager yeast. Ale yeast works best at room temperature (18-22°C or 64-71°F) and produces the slightly ‘fruity’ characteristics that you would expect in many ales.

The desired degree of attenuation is partly a matter of style and partly one of personal preference. Using a low-attenuation yeast for a saison or a high-attenuation yeast for a mild ale is likely to disappoint. But I’ve discovered that I tend to prefer a drier finish in most of my beer, so I tend to err on the side of more attenuation than less. TAKE-AWAY: Select a yeast strain that exhibits the right level of attenuation for the beer style and for your palate.

Flocculation is the readiness with which yeast cells clump together and, having reached a critical mass, drop to the bottom of the fermentor. Flocculation, a yeast’s ability to clump and settle at the end of fermentation, can help determine the clarity of the beer. Flocculation ability is generally classified as low, medium, or high. Many English and American ale strains have medium to high flocculation characteristics. Most lager strains are low to medium flocculators, and hefeweizen yeast and many Belgian strains are low flocculators. If you are brewing a hefeweizen, the obvious choice is a low-flocculating weizen yeast, because some of the yeast should remain in the beer.

Selecting the right yeast for the job is simple, right? Just pick one with a name that echoes what you’re brewing: American ale for pale ale, Scottish ale for wee heavy, Czech lager for Pilsner, and so on. Nothing to it! Well, yes and no. Choosing a strain by name alone isn’t a bad way to start. After all, there’s a reason for the names, and selecting a yeast according to its name is unlikely to steer you too far away from where you’d like to be. But it’s also important to look at certain performance indicators to make sure your chosen strain is up to the job.

Rate of fermentation

The rate of fermentation is one of the many features to consider when choosing the right yeast for your beer. The rate of fermentation is the speed at which the yeast ferments the wort and turns it into beer. The rate of fermentation is partly a matter of style and partly one of personal preference.

The rate of fermentation is influenced by the yeast strain's flocculation ability. Flocculation is the readiness with which yeast cells clump together and, having reached a critical mass, drop to the bottom of the fermentor. Flocculation can help determine the clarity of the beer. Many English and American ale strains have medium to high flocculation characteristics. Most lager strains are low to medium flocculators, and hefeweizen yeast and many Belgian strains are low flocculators.

The rate of fermentation is also influenced by the yeast strain's attenuation ability. Attenuation is the degree of fermentation and how much sugar is left in the beer. Using a low-attenuation yeast for a saison or a high-attenuation yeast for a mild ale is likely to disappoint.

The rate of fermentation is also influenced by the yeast strain's flavour and aroma characteristics, production of fermentation byproducts, style appropriateness and, above all, the brewer’s experience with the strain.

The rate of fermentation is also influenced by the temperature at which the yeast is fermented. Ale yeast works best at room temperature (18-22°C or 64-71°F) and produces the slightly ‘fruity’ characteristics that you would expect in many ales. House is clean and allows malt and hops to shine. This strain is extremely versatile and flocculent enough to drop out of the beer quickly. House is clean at cold temperatures with increased esters as fermentation temperatures increase.

Flavor and aroma characteristics

When choosing the right yeast for your beer, flavour and aroma characteristics are an important consideration. Saccharomyces cerevisiae or ale yeast produces the slightly 'fruity' characteristics that you would expect in many ales. Ale yeast works best at room temperature (18-22°C or 64-71°F).

Many English and American ale strains have medium to high flocculation characteristics. Most lager strains are low to medium flocculators, and hefeweizen yeast and many Belgian strains are low flocculators. If you are brewing a hefeweizen, the obvious choice is a low-flocculating weizen yeast, because some of the yeast should remain in the beer.

The best of both worlds is a yeast that is clean and allows malt and hops to shine. This strain is extremely versatile and flocculent enough to drop out of the beer quickly.

Flocculation, a yeast’s ability to clump and settle at the end of fermentation, can help determine the clarity of the beer. Flocculation ability is generally classified as low, medium, or high.

The desired degree of attenuation is partly a matter of style and partly one of personal preference. Using a low-attenuation yeast for a saison or a high-attenuation yeast for a mild ale is likely to disappoint. But I’ve discovered that I tend to prefer a drier finish in most of my beer, so I tend to err on the side of more attenuation than less. TAKE-AWAY: Select a yeast strain that exhibits the right level of attenuation for the beer style and for your palate.

Brewer's experience with the strain

Choosing the right yeast for your beer is a critical step in your homebrew process. Each strain of yeast, which creates the sugar and flavor for your beer, is different. And the vast variety of yeast strains can be overwhelming. Here is your guide to choosing the right yeast for your beer:

Flocculation, a yeast’s ability to clump and settle at the end of fermentation, can help determine the clarity of the beer. Flocculation ability is generally classified as low, medium, or high. Many English and American ale strains have medium to high flocculation characteristics. Most lager strains are low to medium flocculators, and hefeweizen yeast and many Belgian strains are low flocculators. If you are brewing a hefeweizen, the obvious choice is a low-flocculating weizen yeast, because some of the yeast should remain in the beer.

The most obvious distinction to make in yeast strains is whether it is a lager or an ale strain. In very simple terms, there are two predominant yeasts used in brewing; Saccharomyces cerveisiae or ale yeast, and Saccharomyces pastorianus or lager yeast. Ale yeast works best at room temperature (18-22°C or 64-71°F) and produces the slightly ‘fruity' characteristics that you would expect in many ales.

The desired degree of attenuation is partly a matter of style and partly one of personal preference. Using a low-attenuation yeast for a saison or a high-attenuation yeast for a mild ale is likely to disappoint. But I’ve discovered that I tend to prefer a drier finish in most of my beer, so I tend to err on the side of more attenuation than less. TAKE-AWAY: Select a yeast strain that exhibits the right level of attenuation for the beer style and for your palate.

Selecting the right yeast for the job is simple, right? Just pick one with a name that echoes what you’re brewing: American ale for pale ale, Scottish ale for wee heavy, Czech lager for Pilsner, and so on. Nothing to it! Well, yes and no. Choosing a strain by name alone isn’t a bad way to start. After all, there’s a reason for the names, and selecting a yeast according to its name is unlikely to steer you too far away from where you’d like to be. But it’s also important to look at certain performance indicators to make sure your chosen strain is up to the job.

We’ve quoted this before but it’s worth reiterating that ‘brewers make wort, yeast makes beer’. Choosing the right strain of yeast arguably makes the biggest difference in how your end beer turns out so we thought we’d talk you through how to make the right selection. The best of both worlds, House is clean and allows malt and hops to shine. This strain is extremely versatile and flocculent enough to drop out of the beer quickly. Best used in American IPAs but works well in English style ales. House is clean at cold temperatures with increased esters as fermentation temperatures increase.

Frequently asked questions