A Guide to Choosing a Yeast Strain
The kind of yeast that you use will affect the results of your homebrewing. Sometimes people check out the names of the yeast and when it matches the name of the beer they are brewing then they believe that that is the right yeast strain to use. There is nothing wrong with using the name of a yeast strain since we know that they got their names for a reason. And if you use these strains with matching name, then you will most likely get the results that you would like to achieve with it. But it is also important to look at other characteristics of the yeast to ensure that you are using the right strain for your homebrew. If you want to decide what yeast to use for your White Labs homebrew, here is a guide.
The first thing you need to consider is attenuation which is the percentages of available wort sugars that is fermented by a yeast strain. You can check attenuation using a hydrometer reading. Style and personal preference are the main factors when considering your choice of attenuation degree. You can have low-attenuation or high-attenuation. The best yeast strain is that which show the right level of attenuation for the beer style and your taste.
Another thing to consider is flocculation which is the readiness of the yeast to clump together and drop at the bottom of the fermentor upon reaching a mass that is critical. When fermenting is finished, then the yeast cells will become a compact cake on the fermentor’s floor that comes off in chunks. If there is low flocculation, yeast tends to remain in suspension. The beer needs to be refrigerated in order to separate the years. So the best yeast strain to choose is the one that flocculates in a manner which is appropriate to the beer that you are brewing.
Another consideration is alcohol tolerance. This refers to the amount of alcohol that can be tolerated by the coastal haze yeast strain before it stops working. The best strain to select is one that will survive your beer’s estimated alcohol level.
It is also important to consider the temperature range. Even with temperatures over the range, yeast will continue to ferment, but the results are not good. And the fermentation will be sluggish if the temperature is below the recommended range. You need to know the yeast’s optimal temperature since your equipment may not be capable of fermenting at certain temperatures or a warmer or cooler temperature may be desirable. This is dependent on the flavor profile you want. The yeast you should choose is one that satisfies the fermentation environment and the flavor profile. Check out this website at http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/01/19/otr.turbo.tap/index.html?_s=PM:US and learn more about beer.