Yeast

This is the more traditional saison option in the lineup. If you want that authentic dry, spicy, and slightly rustic saison character (and you’re comfortable working with a diastatic yeast), BE-134 is a strong choice. It tends to be more aggressive than Farmhouse.

BE-134 delivers the full classic saison experience — fruity esters, peppery spice, clove, and earthy notes. Because it’s diastatic, it has the enzymes to break down more complex sugars, which usually leads to a very dry finish.

Traditional saisons, farmhouse ales, and any beer where you want that classic dry, spicy, and rustic saison profile

This is a reliable dry option when you want to brew strong Belgian beers without going liquid. It handles higher gravity reasonably well and gives you that signature Belgian fruit + spice balance. For stronger Tripels and Quads (especially above 1.080), consider making a small starter or pitching two sachets to give the yeast the best chance of performing cleanly without stress.

BE-256 gives you a blend of fruity esters along with some spicy and phenolic character. It tends to ferment out quite dry due to its high attenuation.

Belgian Tripels, Golden Strong Ales, and other high-gravity Belgian beers where you want that classic combination of fruit and spice

This is a favorite among brewers who want that classic English character in their bitters and porters. It also gets used on hoppy beers when someone wants a bit more personality than US-05 or BRY-97 would give. It’s not the go-to strain for big, juicy, hazy New England IPAs, but it can make a very solid English-style IPA or a hoppy bitter where the esters and hops work together.

S-04 produces more noticeable fruity esters than clean American strains. You’ll often pick up apple, pear, and light stone fruit notes, especially when fermented a little warmer. These esters can play nicely with hops in English IPAs and pale ales, adding another layer without overpowering things. It also has very high flocculation, so it drops bright relatively quickly.

Traditional English bitters, milds, porters, and browns. Also used on English-style IPAs and balanced hoppy ales where you want some fruity ester character to complement the hops.

This yeast is best used when you specifically want that spicy, phenolic edge rather than classic Belgian fruitiness. It can work in certain Belgian styles, but many brewers find it more useful in hybrid or specialty beers where the peppery character adds something interesting.

T-58 produces noticeable spicy, peppery, and phenolic notes (think black pepper and clove) along with some underlying fruit. It’s much less fruity than strains like BE-256 or traditional saison yeasts.

Belgian-style ales where you want prominent spicy and phenolic notes, and some hybrid or specialty beers where that peppery character can work well

Clean & neutral. Enables malt and hops to shine.

Stays relatively neutral and clean across its normal temperature range. Minimal esters under typical conditions, which is why it’s so popular for American pale ales and IPAs. It can throw a bit more fruit/ester character if you push it warmer (especially above ~75°F) or drop the pitch rate, but it’s still one of the cleaner American ale strains available in dry form.

Pale Ales, IPAs, Blondes, Cream Ales

This is the strain to reach for when you want a proper, old-school German Hefeweizen with that signature banana and clove punch. If you’re making a traditional cloudy wheat beer and want the yeast to do a lot of the heavy lifting on flavor, W-68 is the better choice over LalBrew Wit.

W-68 delivers classic German wheat beer esters — banana, pear, and tutti-frutti fruitiness — along with a solid clove/phenolic backbone. It’s more assertive than many modern wheat strains.

German-style Hefeweizens, Kristallweizens, and any wheat beer where you want prominent banana and clove character

This is the “nuclear option” for big beers. If you’re making a barleywine or imperial stout and want it bone-dry with high alcohol, HA-18 can do things that normal yeast struggles with. Use it when you specifically want extreme attenuation, not as a general-purpose yeast.

Because of the added glucoamylase enzyme, this strain can ferment out a huge amount of sugar, leaving the beer very dry. It also produces some phenolic character (light clove/spice notes).

Barleywines, Imperial Stouts, strong ales, and any high-gravity beer where you want it to finish extremely dry

This is the “different” lager strain in the lineup. While W-34/70 and Diamond are built for clean, classic lager profiles, E-30 is better suited for more modern or expressive lagers — think fruitier interpretations or lagers that lean into hop aroma.

E-30 produces noticeably more esters than traditional clean lager strains. You can expect more fruit and floral notes, and it also has the ability to enhance certain hop thiols, which can bring out extra tropical and citrus character from the hops.

Fruit-forward lagers, hoppy lagers, and any lager style where you want more aromatic esters and enhanced hop character rather than a super neutral profile

One of the most famous and widely used lager strains in the world. W-34/70 originated from the Weihenstephan yeast bank in Germany (note: this is not the yeast used in Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier). It’s the strain behind a massive amount of commercial lager production worldwide and is known for being reliable and consistent.

This is a very clean lager strain. It produces minimal esters and sulfur when fermented properly at lager temperatures. It finishes dry and crisp with good drinkability.

German-style Pilsners, Helles, Festbiers, American lagers, and any clean, crisp lager where you want reliable fermentation and a neutral profile

This is a dependable dry yeast for Belgian abbey styles. It won’t give you the same depth or complexity as some of the famous liquid Trappist or abbey strains, but it does a respectable job of delivering that signature fruit + spice balance without a lot of fuss. For higher-gravity beers (especially strong Tripels and Quads), consider making a small starter or pitching two sachets. Abbaye performs best when it has enough healthy cells to handle the gravity without stress.

Abbaye gives you a pleasant blend of fruity esters along with some spicy and phenolic character — think dried fruit, clove, and a touch of earthiness.

Belgian Dubbels, Tripels, Quads, and other strong Belgian abbey-style beers where you want a balanced mix of fruit and spice

This is the one a lot of people reach for when they want that classic clean American profile but with a little more polish on the finish. It’s become a quiet favorite among brewers who got tired of US-05 being just okay on head retention. Not dramatically different — just a small upgrade in the areas that actually matter on brew day.

Super clean with minimal esters or phenols under normal conditions. It’s not trying to be interesting — it’s trying to stay out of the way. That’s the whole point. It behaves a lot like US-05, but a lot of brewers report it drops a touch clearer and keeps better head retention.

American Pale Ales, IPAs, Blondes, West Coast-style beers, and clean ales where you want bright hops and a dry finish with good head

This is the yeast most people reach for when they want to naturally carbonate big, strong beers without risking off-flavors from the conditioning yeast itself. It drops out fast and hard, leaving the beer bright with minimal sediment.

CBC-1 is intentionally very neutral. It produces very low levels of esters and phenols, which is exactly what you want when refermenting in the bottle or cask.

Bottle conditioning strong ales, barleywines, imperial stouts, and any beer where you want clean natural carbonation without adding extra character

This is a strong modern option if you want a clean lager without the variability some older strains can show. It sits very close to W-34/70 in character, but some brewers prefer it for its reliability and slightly better flocculation. It’s a safe, no-drama choice for most standard lager styles.

Diamond is a very clean fermenter. It produces minimal esters and sulfur, making it well-suited for traditional lager styles. Many brewers find it slightly cleaner or more consistent than older lager strains.

Clean German-style lagers (Pilsner, Helles, Festbier), American lagers, and any lager where you want a neutral profile that lets the malt and hops stay front and center

This is a great “safer” saison option if you like the style but have had issues with traditional strains going too dry or being finicky. It still gives you that spicy, rustic saison character, but with better control and consistency.

Farmhouse produces the classic spicy and fruity esters associated with saisons — think pepper, clove, citrus, and light fruit. Because it’s non-diastatic, it tends to be more predictable and controlled than some traditional saison strains.

Saisons, farmhouse ales, and Belgian-style beers where you want that signature saison character without the risk of the beer drying out too much or stalling

This is one of Lallemand’s purpose-built hazy IPA strains. If you’re making New England IPAs or juicy pales and want a dry yeast that can actually compete with liquid options in terms of fruit character and mouthfeel, East Coast Ale is a strong choice. It sits in a similar lane as Pomona but brings its own ester profile and haze performance.

This strain produces a solid punch of tropical and stone fruit esters — mango, peach, pineapple, and citrus. It works especially well with the big, juicy hop varieties that dominate hazy IPAs and tends to amplify their fruit-forward qualities. It also helps maintain haze and leaves enough body to give the beer that soft, pillowy texture.

Hazy IPAs, Juicy IPAs, New England pale ales, and any modern hop-forward beer where you want prominent tropical and stone fruit esters with a fuller body

This is one of the most widely used dry English strains for a reason. A lot of brewers reach for it on traditional bitters and porters, but it also gets used successfully on hoppy pale ales and even some hazy IPAs when someone wants a touch more personality than a super-clean American strain. It’s often seen as the more forgiving English option.

Nottingham throws some pleasant fruity esters (apple, pear, light citrus), but it’s generally cleaner and more restrained than S-04. The character is there when you want it, but it doesn’t dominate. It also has excellent flocculation, so it drops out fast with good head retention.

English bitters, pale ales, porters, and browns. Also popular on hoppy beers and some hazy IPAs when brewers want a bit of character and good body while staying relatively clean.

This is one of the more modern dry strains out there and was specifically created for the hazy/juicy IPA style. If you’re brewing NEIPAs or juicy pales and want a dry yeast that can actually deliver big fruit character, Pomona is one of the strongest options currently available. It’s not trying to be a traditional English or American ale yeast — it’s built for this specific style of beer.

Pomona is known for throwing big tropical, stone fruit, and citrus esters — think mango, peach, pineapple, and orange. It pairs extremely well with modern hop varieties (Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, etc.) and tends to enhance their juicy qualities. It also helps with haze stability and leaves enough body to support a soft, pillowy mouthfeel.

Hazy IPAs, Juicy IPAs, New England-style pale ales, and any hop-forward beer where you want prominent tropical fruit esters and a soft, full mouthfeel

Kveik strains like Voss have actually been used in Norwegian farmhouse brewing for hundreds of years, but they only really appeared on the wider brewing scene around 10 years ago. Voss is a great entry point into kveik because it’s fast, very temperature tolerant, and gives beers a unique character without needing to go full wild fermentation.

Voss produces a distinctive mix of orange peel, earthy, and lightly spicy notes. The character can shift depending on fermentation temperature — warmer ferments tend to bring out more of the orange/citrus side, while cooler ferments can lean earthier.

Farmhouse ales, quick turnaround beers, saisons, and any style where you want interesting character and don’t mind (or actually want) a faster fermentation

This is a solid, forgiving choice when you want to brew Belgian-style witbiers or wheat beers without the yeast fighting for attention. Because it’s more neutral than many wheat strains, it gives you better control over the final spice character. Many brewers like it for witbiers specifically because it lets the coriander and orange peel come through clearly.

Wit produces lower levels of esters and phenols compared to classic hefeweizen strains. You’ll get a light baseline of banana and slight clove/spice, but it’s intentionally kept in check so it doesn’t dominate. The low flocculation helps it stay nicely hazy.

Belgian Witbiers, American Wheat beers, and any wheat beer where you want a clean, lightly fruity/spicy foundation without the yeast overpowering your spice additions