Yeast Strain Guide
14 strains across 5 categories. What each yeast brings to the beer, how to ferment it, where to source it.
Yeast is the single most underappreciated ingredient in craft beer. Hops get the marketing, malt gets the technical respect, but yeast is what actually transforms wort into beer — and the strain you use determines as much about the finished beer as your recipe does. A Belgian Tripel and an American IPA might use similar grain and similar ABV, but the yeast is what makes one taste like banana-and-clove abbey beer and the other taste like a clean canvas for hops.
This guide covers the strains a homebrewer or pro brewer is most likely to actually use — the workhorses behind most of the beer you drink, plus the wild bacteria (Lactobacillus, Pediococcus) that drive sour and lambic brewing. Each page covers fermentation profile, what to expect, what to avoid, and where to source it.
The percentage of available sugar the yeast eats. 75% attenuation means 75% of your starting sugar becomes alcohol/CO2; 25% stays as body and residual sweetness.
How readily yeast drops out of suspension. High flocculation = clear beer, sometimes incomplete fermentation. Low flocculation = hazy beer, dryer finish (think NEIPA).
Where the yeast performs best. Outside this range you'll get either stalled fermentation (too cold) or off-flavors from stress (too warm) — usually fusel alcohols and acetaldehyde.
How much yeast you add per batch. Underpitching is the #1 cause of off-flavors and stalled fermentations in homebrew. See our pitch rate guide.
Ale yeasts
Top-fermenting yeasts that work at warmer temperatures (60-75°F). Produce more ester character than lager strains. Account for most craft brewing.
Belgian yeasts
High-character ale strains that produce intentional ester and phenolic character — banana, clove, pepper, dried fruit. Tolerate high alcohol and warm temperatures.
Wheat / Hefeweizen yeasts
Specialized strains for Bavarian-style wheat beers. Produce banana (isoamyl acetate) and clove (4-vinyl guaiacol) — temperature controls the ratio.
Lager yeasts
Bottom-fermenting yeasts that work at cool temperatures (45-55°F). Produce remarkably clean profiles with minimal ester character. Require longer fermentation and lagering time.
Wild / mixed culture
Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus. Slow-working microorganisms that produce funk, tartness, and complex flavor over months or years. Cannot mix with clean beer equipment without contamination risk.
Related
→ Yeast pitch rates and starter guidance
→ Off-flavor diagnosis (most off-flavors are yeast-related)