IPA Yeast Strains

Not all yeast is created equal. The choice of strain is one of the most consequential decisions in IPA brewing — it sets attenuation, ester profile, flocculation (how readily yeast drops clear), and how the beer interacts with Hops. This note catalogs the strains that matter for the IPA.

#The Major IPA Strains

#California Ale — the "Chico" Strain

The Chico strain (named for Sierra Nevada's home in Chico, California) is the default of American craft brewing. It is clean, neutral, and highly attenuative, contributing almost no flavor of its own and dropping bright and clear. That transparency is exactly what a West Coast IPA wants — nothing between the drinker and the hops.

#English Ale Yeast

English strains ferment with gentle, fruity esters and lower attenuation, leaving more residual malt sweetness. They suit the balanced, Maris Otter-driven character of a traditional English IPA and contributed to the Burton heritage of the style.

#London III and "Conan" — the Hazy Yeasts

The New England IPA is built on yeasts like London Ale III and the Vermont strain known as "Conan." They share three traits the style depends on:

1. Expressive stone-fruit esters — peach and apricot that meld with juicy hops.
2. Low flocculation — they stay suspended, contributing to permanent haze.
3. Strong Biotransformation — they actively rework hop oils into extra fruit.

#Kveik

Kveik is a family of traditional Norwegian farmhouse yeasts. They ferment extremely fast, tolerate very warm temperatures (sometimes 35 °C+), stay surprisingly clean, and resist off-flavors. Brewers use kveik to turn around an IPA in days and to push warm fermentations that boost biotransformation.

#Lager Strains for IPL and Cold IPA

#Continue Reading

• Yeast — the fundamentals
• Biotransformation — strain-driven hop transformation
• Fermentation — putting strains to work
• New England IPA — the style defined by its yeast