Yeast Comparison Charts
Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer. The eternal maxim surrounding our fantastic hobby. The role of the brewer is to make sure that the right wort, the right yeast, and the right conditions are set up to make a great beer. When I first started formulating my own recipes, yeast selection was one of the most difficult parts of the process. I emulated Guinness, my gateway into dark beers, and read time and again that the yeast used was White Labs 004, Irish Ale Yeast. Unfortunately, my local homebrew shop only carried WYeast. Further research showed that I could also use WYeast 1084, supposedly the same strain. The concept of strains wasn't new to me, but the idea that multiple yeast labs could produce the same strain of yeast was. I've since come to believe that many of the same "strains" sold by different labs aren't exactly the same, but that doesn't change the fact that a different strain may be similar enough to work when your chosen strain isn't available. Below are a few tables which will help you find the right substitute yeast. We have updated this list to include Imperial Organic Yeasts . These yeasts contain at least 200 Billion cells per container. This is significantly more than the other brands on the list. We have found this to help a great deal in starting and maintaining a healthy fermentation. Having said that, all of the yeasts on this chart are quality yeasts and we have used almost all of them at some time during our brewing journey. Also note that some of these yeasts are seasonal, so you may not be able to get all of them at all times. The yellow underlined yeasts have a link for more information. There are several charts below, so scroll down to see them all. Ale Yeast Comparison Chart Common Name WYeast White Labs Danstar/Fermentis Imperial Notes/Other German Ale Dusseldorf Alt 1007 WLP036 G02 Kaiser WLP029 will work, but enhance hops more so than the other two strains. American Wheat 1010 WLP320 G02 Kaiser (not a match, but works well) WLP029 will work, but enhance hops more so than the other two strains. London Ale 1028 WLP013 S04 (Not an exact match) A09 Pub , not match, but works well Chico Strain 1056 WLP001 S05 A07 Flagship BRY-97 will also work Irish Ale 1084 WLP004 S04 (Not an exact match) A10 Darkness British Ale 1098 WLP007 S04 (Not an exact match) A01 House Whitebread 1099 WLP017 (Seasonal) S04 Ringwood 1187 WLP005 S04 (Not an exact match) American Ale II/California Ale V 1272 WLP051 S05 (Not an exact match) A15 Independence Thames Valley Ale/Burton Ale 1275 WLP023 S04 (Not an exact match) London Ale III 1318 A38 Juice S04 will work as a substitute, but it isn't exact Denny's Favorite 1450 S05 (Not an exact match) Named for the wonderful Denny Conn, check him out on his blog Experimental Homebrewing West Yorkshire 1469 S04 WLP002 can be subbed in with good results Scottish/Edinburgh 1728 WLP028 A31 Tartan London ESB 1968 WLP002 S04 (Not an exact match) A09 Pub Kolsch 2565 WLP003 (Seasonal) G03 Dieter Belgium -Saccharomyces 644 A20 Citrus Belgian Ale Yeast Comparison Table Common Name WYeast White Labs Danstar/Fermentis Imperial Yeast Belgian Abbey 1214 WLP500 Belgian Strong 1388 WLP570 Belgian Abbey II 1762 WLP540 Bavarian Wheat Blend 3056 WB-06 Weihenstephan Weizen 3068 WLP300 G01 Stefon German Wheat 3333 (out of production) WLP380 Belgian Ardennes 3522 WLP550 B45 Gnome Bavarian Wheat 3638 WLP351 French Saison 3711 WLP590 (Seasonal) Belle Saison B64 Napoleon Belgian Saison 3724 WLP566 B56 Rustic (not an exact match) Trappist High Gravity 3787 WLP530 B48 TripleDouble Belgian Witbier 3944 WLP400 T-58 or WB-06 B44 Whiteout Lager Yeast Comparison Table Common Name WYeast White Labs Danstar/Fermentis Imperial Yeast Notes Budvar Lager 2000 WLP802 (Not an exact match) S23 (Not an exact match) 2000 is a quarterly release Only Urqell Lager/Pilsner Lager 2001 -PC WLP800 S23 (Not an exact match) L28 Urkel (not an exact match) 2001 is Quarterly Release Only Pilsen Lager/American Lager 200 7-PC WLP840 W34/70 American Lager 2035-PC WLP840 (Not an exact match) W34/70 (Not an exact match) 2035-PC is a quarterly Danish Lager/Copenhagen Lager 2042-PC WLP850 W34/70 (Not an exact match) 2042 is a Quarterly Release Only California Lager/San Fran. Lager 2112 WLP810 S23 (Not an exact match) L05 CableCar Bohemian Lager/German Lager 2124 WLP830 W34/70 (Not an exact match) L13 Global Bavarian Lager/Oktoberfest Lager 2206 WLP820 W34/70 (Not an exact match) L17 Harvest (not an exact match) Czech Pils 2278 WLP802 (Not an exact match) W34/70 (Not an exact match) L28 Urkel Munich Lager 2308 WLP838 W34/70 (Not an exact match) L17 Harvest (not an exact match) German Lager 2352 WLB860 W34/70 (Not an exact match) L17 Harvest 2352 is not in production at this time. Oktoberfest Blend 2633 WLP833 W34/70 (Not an exact match)