Beer Brewing Yeast

Best yeast strains for homebrew beer

How to pick an ale vs lager strain

Match the strain to your fermenter temperature: below 15 C choose a true lager strain (W-34/70, Diamond); at 18-22 C any ale strain works; above 25 C use Voss Kveik. All strains above are stocked in NZ and ship from Nelson.

How to pick dry vs liquid yeast

Ale yeast for clean, reliable fermentation: Fermentis Safale US-05 is the benchmark neutral American ale strain, fermenting 18-22 C for crisp pale ales and IPAs. Lallemand Nottingham ferments 14-21 C and suits English ales, stouts and high-gravity brews. For hazy and hop-forward styles, Lallemand Verdant IPA (18-23 C) boosts fruity esters, while Lallemand BRY-97 West Coast Ale stays clean and flocculant. British character comes from Lallemand Windsor (17-21 C) or Fermentis Safale S-04 (18-20 C). Lager brewers: Fermentis Saflager W-34/70 (12-15 C) and Lallemand Diamond Lager (12-15 C) give crisp German-style lagers; Lallemand Novalager ferments clean at ale temperatures. Mangrove Jack's M54 Californian Lager suits steam-style beers, M05 Mead suits meads and ciders. Heat-tolerant option: Lallemand Voss Kveik ferments 25-40 C with orange-citrus esters, ideal for summer brewing without temperature control.