yeast-profiles

name	yeast-profiles
description	Yeast strain reference with attenuation, temperature, flocculation, alcohol tolerance, pressure fermenting guidance, and quick selection guide for 22 strains

Yeast Profiles Reference

Format: Strain | Attenuation | Temp Range | Flavor Notes | Best Styles | Flocculation | Alcohol Tolerance | Pressure Fermenting | Co-fermentation

American Ale Yeasts

Wyeast 1056 / WLP001 / SafAle US-05 (American Ale)

Attenuation: 75–78% | Temp: 16–22°C (US-05 up to 24°C) Flavor: Clean, neutral, versatile — lets hops and malt shine Best for: American IPA, West Coast IPA, APA, American Amber, American Stout, DIPA Flocculation: Medium-Low Alcohol tolerance: up to 11% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — 10–15 psi at 18–22°C produces very clean, ester-suppressed ale; popular "lager-style" clean ale technique Co-fermentation: Blends well with 1272 (50/50) for slightly more complexity while retaining cleanliness Notes: The gold standard workhorse. Very forgiving. High pitch rate for clean results. US-05 (dry): cheaper, same profile, slightly lower attenuation at lower temps.

Wyeast 1272 / WLP051 (American Ale II)

Attenuation: 72% | Temp: 16–22°C Flavor: Slightly fruity, nutty, clean Best for: American Amber Ale, APA, Brown Ale Flocculation: Medium-High Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — 10 psi; subtle nut/fruit remains even under pressure Co-fermentation: Classic 1056 + 1272 blend (50/50) for cleaner American ales with slight nutty complexity Notes: Slight nut/fruit adds complexity without overpowering. Less clean than 1056.

Wyeast 1332 (Northwest Ale)

Attenuation: 71% | Temp: 16–22°C Flavor: Malty, clean, slightly fruity Best for: American Amber, Brown Ale, cream ale variants Flocculation: High Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes Co-fermentation: Can blend with 1056 for more attenuation in malt-forward styles Notes: Malt-forward profile. Leaves slightly higher FG than 1056.

English / British Ale Yeasts

Wyeast 1968 / WLP002 (London Ale / English Ale)

Attenuation: 67–70% | Temp: 16–22°C Flavor: Biscuity, fruity esters, slightly sweet finish Best for: ESB, English Bitter, English Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Mild Flocculation: Very High (may need rousing mid-fermentation) Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: Not recommended — already low attenuation; pressure reduces it further Co-fermentation: Sometimes blended with 1056 for ESB variants needing more attenuation Notes: Flocculates aggressively — rouse or raise temp before crash. Higher FG adds body. Classic British pub character.

SafAle S-04 (Dry English Ale)

Attenuation: 70% | Temp: 15–22°C Flavor: Fruity, biscuity, slightly sweet Best for: ESB, English Bitter, Porter Flocculation: Very High Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — low pressure (5–8 psi) reduces esters for cleaner English profile Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Dry version of English ale character. Very high flocculation — crystal-clear beer.

Wyeast 1084 / WLP004 (Irish Ale)

Attenuation: 71–73% | Temp: 16–22°C Flavor: Slightly fruity, dry finish with roasty undertone Best for: Irish Dry Stout, Irish Red, ESB Flocculation: Medium Alcohol tolerance: up to 12% ABV Pressure fermenting: Moderate — 10 psi acceptable Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Dry finish enhances roasty character in stouts. Subtle fruitiness.

Wyeast 1098 / WLP007 (British Ale)

Attenuation: 73% | Temp: 16–22°C Flavor: Fruity, clean, crisp Best for: English Bitter, ESB, English IPA, Pale Ale Flocculation: Medium-High Alcohol tolerance: up to 12% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes Co-fermentation: Good partner for English-style blends Notes: More attenuative than 1968. Clean with slight fruitiness. Versatile English strain.

Wyeast 1450 (Denny's Favourite 50)

Attenuation: 74% | Temp: 16–22°C Flavor: Full-bodied, malty, clean, rich Best for: American Amber, Brown Ale, Barleywine, bigger English ales Flocculation: Low-Medium Alcohol tolerance: up to 12% ABV Pressure fermenting: Not recommended — mouthfeel character depends on unfermented sugars; pressure may reduce them further Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Exceptional body and mouthfeel. Retains malt sweetness better than 1056.

German / Central European Yeasts

Wyeast 3068 (Weihenstephan Weizen)

Attenuation: 73% | Temp: 17–24°C Flavor: Banana (isoamyl acetate) + clove (4-vinyl guaiacol) Best for: Hefeweizen, Dunkelweizen, Weizenbock Flocculation: Low (powdery — stays in suspension; beer naturally hazy) Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: No — pressure suppresses isoamyl acetate and 4-VG that define the style Co-fermentation: Sometimes used with Conan for hybrid wheat/IPA applications Notes: Temperature drives character — ferment 17°C for clove, 21°C+ for banana. Most authentic German wheat yeast. Soft water preferred.

Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch)

Attenuation: 73% | Temp: 13–18°C Flavor: Clean, slightly fruity, soft Best for: Kölsch, light German ales Flocculation: Medium-Low Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — 5–10 psi at 14–16°C accelerates lager-like character; pair with cold conditioning Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Ale yeast fermented cold for lager-like character. Lager condition for 2 weeks at 2°C.

Wyeast 2112 (California Lager)

Attenuation: 70% | Temp: 14–18°C Flavor: Clean, malty, smooth with slight fruitiness at upper range Best for: California Common (Steam Beer), cream ales at warm fermentation Flocculation: High Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — unique trait: 12–15 psi at 18°C produces clean lager character; this is the classic California Common technique Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Ferments warmer than true lager yeasts. Unique hybrid character.

Wyeast 2124 / WLP830 (Bohemian Lager)

Attenuation: 71% | Temp: 8–14°C Flavor: Clean, malty, crisp — slight maltiness Best for: Bohemian Pilsner, German Pilsner, Helles, Märzen Flocculation: Medium Alcohol tolerance: up to 11% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — 12–20 psi at 18–20°C; suppresses esters for clean lager at ale temps. Popular for fast lager production. Co-fermentation: Blends with 2308 for added Märzen complexity Notes: Needs long cold fermentation (10–12°C) and lagering (4–6 weeks at 2°C) for traditional results.

Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager)

Attenuation: 73% | Temp: 8–14°C Flavor: Clean, malty, rich Best for: Bock, Doppelbock, Märzen, Dunkel Flocculation: Medium Alcohol tolerance: up to 12% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — 12–15 psi at 18°C works well Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Richer, more malt-forward than 2124. Classic Bavarian lager character.

SafLager W-34/70 (Dry Lager)

Attenuation: 80% | Temp: 9–15°C Flavor: Clean, crisp, lager-character Best for: Any lager style — extremely versatile Flocculation: High Alcohol tolerance: up to 14% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — the most popular pressure lager strain: 12–20 psi at 18–22°C produces clean lager at ale fermentation temps in 5–7 days. Standard commercial practice. Co-fermentation: Sometimes blended 50/50 with S-189 for added complexity in Märzen/Pilsner Notes: Most-used commercial lager yeast worldwide. High attenuation produces dry finish. Excellent flocculation.

Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager)

Attenuation: 72% | Temp: 8–14°C Flavor: Smooth, clean, malty Best for: Bock, Munich Helles, Märzen Flocculation: Medium Alcohol tolerance: up to 11% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes Co-fermentation: Blends with 2124 for standard lager hybrids Notes: Similar to 2206 but smoother profile.

Belgian Ale Yeasts

Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale)

Attenuation: 78% | Temp: 18–26°C Flavor: Fruity, spicy, warming, complex esters Best for: Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Tripel, Strong Dark Flocculation: Low Alcohol tolerance: up to 12% ABV Pressure fermenting: No — ester and phenol development essential to Belgian character Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: High attenuation dries out big beers. Fruity at lower temps, drier/spicier at higher.

Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II)

Attenuation: 74% | Temp: 18–26°C Flavor: Raisin, prune, spicy, fruity Best for: Belgian Dubbel, Quadrupel, Strong Dark Ale Flocculation: Medium-Low Alcohol tolerance: up to 15% ABV Pressure fermenting: No Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Rich dark fruit character. Pairs perfectly with Special B and dark candi sugar.

Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity)

Attenuation: 76% | Temp: 18–26°C Flavor: Fruity, spicy, complex, warming Best for: Belgian Tripel, Dubbel, Belgian Strong, Saison (secondary) Flocculation: Medium Alcohol tolerance: up to 14% ABV Pressure fermenting: No Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Handles high gravity well. Classic Trappist character. Ferment warm for complexity.

Wyeast 3944 (Belgian Witbier)

Attenuation: 72% | Temp: 17–24°C Flavor: Tart, fruity, spicy, phenolic Best for: Witbier, Belgian White, Bière Blanche Flocculation: Low Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: No — phenolic character (4-VG) must develop freely Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Produces classic Witbier tartness and spice. Lower temps for more phenolic character.

Wyeast 1318 / WLP066 (London Ale III)

Attenuation: 71–73% | Temp: 17–23°C Flavor: Fruity, full-bodied, juicy Best for: NEIPA / Hazy IPA (top choice), Hazy Pale, English Pale Flocculation: High Alcohol tolerance: up to 10% ABV Pressure fermenting: No — NEIPA biotransformation requires normal warm fermentation; pressure would impede thiol conversion Co-fermentation: Sometimes blended with 1272 for NEIPA variants with slightly less body Notes: Critical for NEIPA — produces biotransformation compounds that enhance hop fruitiness. Retains residual sweetness and full body. Do NOT use for West Coast IPA (too fruity, not dry).

Specialty Yeasts

Kveik (Lallemand Voss)

Attenuation: 80% | Temp: 25–40°C Flavor: Orange, tropical at lower temps (25–30°C); neutral at high temp (38–40°C) Best for: Any style wanting fast fermentation (24–48h), farmhouse ales Flocculation: High Alcohol tolerance: up to 14% ABV Pressure fermenting: Yes — works well at high temps + 10–15 psi; neutral clean profile at 38°C under pressure Co-fermentation: N/A Notes: Extreme heat tolerance. Fermenting at 25–30°C produces orange/citrus esters. At 38–40°C produces neutral, clean beer very quickly. No off-flavors at high temps. Can underpitch aggressively (0.1 M cells/mL/°P) — high temp and fast fermentation compensates.

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Quick Selection Guide

Style	First Choice	Alternative
West Coast IPA	US-05 / WLP001	Wyeast 1056
NEIPA / Hazy IPA	WLP066 / Wyeast 1318	Wyeast 1272
American Pale Ale	US-05	Wyeast 1056
Hefeweizen	Wyeast 3068	WLP300
Belgian Witbier	Wyeast 3944	WLP400
Belgian Tripel	Wyeast 3787	Wyeast 1388
Belgian Dubbel	Wyeast 1762	Wyeast 3787
English Bitter/ESB	WLP002 / Wyeast 1968	S-04
Irish Dry Stout	WLP004 / Wyeast 1084	WLP002
German Pilsner	W-34/70	WLP830
Märzen/Oktoberfest	W-34/70	Wyeast 2206
Kölsch	Wyeast 2565	WLP029
Saison	WLP565	Wyeast 3724
California Common	Wyeast 2112	—
Fast lager (pressure)	W-34/70 at 15–20 psi	Wyeast 2124

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Attenuation & Body Notes

• High attenuation (>75%): Dry finish, lower FG — use for IPA, Saison, Belgian Strong, any "dry" style
• Low attenuation (<70%): Full body, residual sweetness — use for ESB, NEIPA, English stouts, malt-forward styles
• FG target = OG × (1 - attenuation %) — e.g., OG 1.060, 75% att → FG 1.015
• Temperature effects: Higher fermentation temp = more esters + fusel alcohols. Critical for Hefeweizen and Belgian styles.

Pressure Fermenting Summary

Pressure fermenting uses a spunding valve (8–20 psi) to suppress ester and fusel alcohol production, enabling ale or lager yeast to ferment at higher-than-usual temperatures while producing clean, lager-like character.

Yeast	Pressure	Temp	Result
W-34/70	12–20 psi	18–22°C	Clean lager in 5–7 days at ale temps
US-05 / 1056	10–15 psi	18–22°C	Very clean, ester-suppressed American ale
WLP001	10–15 psi	18–22°C	Same as US-05
2124 / WLP830	12–20 psi	18–20°C	Lager character without cold fermentation
California Lager 2112	12–15 psi	18°C	Classic California Common

Not suitable for pressure: 3068 (Hefeweizen), Belgian strains (1388, 1762, 3787, 3944), London Ale III (1318/WLP066 — suppresses biotransformation).