Omega Yeast Descriptions
OYL002: Energetically top cropping, this powerful fermenter leaves behind a light, tart, refreshingly crisp character. Fairly clean and lightly dry, American Wheat excels particularly at American styles. The touch of sulfur produced during fermentation conditions out.
OYL004: “Chico” is a reliable, versatile and popular neutral foundation for displays of malts and hops. Highly attenuative and moderately flocculating, it ferments crisp and clean with light citrus notes under 66°F (19°C)
OYL005: Ireland’s storied stout is thought to be balanced by this dry, crisp, lightly fruity, versatile and powerful strain. A good fermenter with reliable, average flocculation (some diacetyl possible), and a hint of fruit at the lowest recommended temperatures, which increases in complexity at higher temperatures (64°F+). Successful in dark and high gravity beers. Sláinte!
OYL006: A productive, brewery friendly, top cropper attributed to a historic London brewery whose lab once hosted Louis Pasteur. It drops fast and clear and is clean and crisp at low temperatures with heightened esters and a lightly tart, dry finish at upper ranges.
OYL009: West Coast Ale II is a consistent, well flocculating, well attenuating and easy clearing neutral strain. Slightly fruitier than West Coast Ale (OYL004) and clean with a lightly perceptible nuttiness, its subtle citrus character finishes slightly tart at the cool end, and more fruit character emerges as fermentation temperatures increase.
OYL011: British Ale V is undeniably a gold standard for brewing NEIPAs. Along with its huge fruity boost to juicy hop character comes a stable haze and residual sweetness that is a signature of this strain and a hallmark of a hazy IPA.
OYL012: A strain from the Pacific NW, originally from the UK, the Pacific NW Ale strain presents a relatively neutral profile with notes of malt and light fruit that add depth of flavor. It is a healthy flocculator.
OYL015: The Scottish Ale strain is a flocculent, versatile and reliable house strain that produces neutral to complex and malty profiles in its fairly wide temperature range. Hop character is not muted by this strain. More esters emerge at higher fermentation temperatures.
OYL016: A ridiculously thorough flocculator thought to be from a highly regarded English ESB. This strain has unique fruitiness and noticeable finishing sweetness. Drops out quickly and completely. Easy to crop but needs a diacetyl rest. To enhance the fruit, ferment up at the recommended temperature ceiling.
OYL021: A classic German wheat strain, it’s a cloudy, big top cropper. Presenting banana and clove, the esters turn up with increased temperatures, wort density and decreased pitch rate, or stay muted at lower temperatures where clove stands out. Over pitching can lessen the banana. Sulfur conditions out.
OYL022: Hefeweizen Ale II produces a crystal-clear body with no additional steps and is a big top cropper. Up esters with upper fermentation temperatures, wort density and decreased pitch rate, or keep esters muted to let clove show. Turn down banana by over pitching. Sulfur conditions out.
OYL024: As one of the few highly flocculent Belgian ale strains, Belgian Ale A makes a great Belgian house strain: it crops easily and has a well-rounded flavor profile with balanced fruitiness and phenolics. Esters increase with upward temperatures.
OYL028: An eruptive top cropper displaying nice fruit and rustic phenolics. This reliable Belgian strain is a good flocculator with a wide temperature range. Three famous brewers' ferment this on vastly different schedules, showing the varied outcomes available.
OYL030: Enthusiastically top cropping, this essential Wit yeast is distinctive for the popular, refreshing, easy-drinking summer style. Spicy phenolics carry the flavoring, while at the same time being supported — but not overshadowed — by good ester character. Lightly tart and dry.
OYL033: The famed Jovaru Brewery’s historic strain, Jovaru comes from the queen of Lithuanian farmhouse beer herself. With citrusy esters and restrained phenols, expect lemon pith and black pepper character, and a soft mouthfeel. This unique yeast complements farmhouse beers and makes a great Wit. I sveikata!
OYL042: Thought to originate from a small, sophisticated, Belgian brewer’s spelt Saison. It is earthy, spicy, peppery, tart and dry, with tropical fruit and citrus at warm fermentation temperatures. A perfect strain for farmhouse ales and Saisons. It favors pitching in the low 70s (21°C), and free rising from there.
OYL044: This Kolsch strain is warmer fermenting than Kolsch I (OYL017), flocculates much better and clears more quickly, so is a little easier to manage. It is a lager-like ale strain that’s lightly fruity, crisp and clean with a hint of sulfur that disappears with age to leave a clean ale. Accentuates hop flavors.
OYL052: A strong fermenter popularly referred to as “Conan.” Its peach, apricot and pineapple notes are steroids for hops, complementing modern fruity hop profiles in particular. A diacetyl rest is suggested if fermented in the lower temperature range. Many brewers enjoy blending DIPA with British V (OYL011) for enhanced haze and complex, fruity ester profile.
OYL057: A highly flocculent Norwegian ale strain (kveik), Hothead® has an astoundingly wide temperature range and little change in flavor across the range. Clean enough for both American and English styles, it has a unique honey-like aroma with overripe mango. Complementary to modern, fruity hops. Temperature control is unnecessary with this strain. Non-phenolic and no noticeable fusels, even at higher temperatures.
OYL061: A traditional Norwegian kveik directly from the Gjernes farmstead, Voss Kveik’s orange-citrus notes present throughout its wide temperature range. So, like the mango-honey profile of Hot Head (OYL057), Voss Kveik’s orange-citrus is relatively clean across the whole range, and pairs well with citrusy, fruity hops. Ester intensity and fermentation speed take off at higher temperatures in this strain. Non-phenolic and no noticeable fusels, even at higher temperatures.
OYL071: Isolated from our Hornindal Kveik (OYL091) culture, Lutra® is shockingly clean with unrivaled speed when pitched at 90°F (32°C). The strain is perfect for brewing an even more neutral and refreshing pseudo-lager at its lower temperatures, without the lead time of a traditional lager yeast. Lutra is your worry-free way to navigate the evolving demand for cold ones.
OYL090: Originating from the village of Grodås in Norway, the Espe kveik blend offers the unique profile of lychee, pear, and tropical fruit cup. It bolsters the sweet aromatics of modern IPAs but is versatile enough for your flagship pale ale or seasonal brew. Most expressive when fermented at 90°F+ (32°C+), Espe still reveals character at its lower temperature range.
OYL091: A wonderfully unique Norwegian kveik, Hornindal’s blend of cooperative strains produce a tropical flavor and complex aroma that can present as stone fruit, pineapple, and dried fruit leather, which complement fruit-forward hops. Add even more dimension to “C” hops and increase ester intensity with a high fermentation temperature. Ferments well at 90°F / 32°C or higher. Non-phenolic and no noticeable fusels, even at higher temperatures.
OYL101: Thought to be the H strain of the famous Plzen brewer, this lager strain has a dry and neutral taste profile and is gently malty with a lightly perceptible floral aroma. The first of the famous Czech strains inspiring America’s most famous light, brilliantly clear, golden lagers. Commonly produces sulfur during fermentation that clears during lagering. Watch out for diacetyl.
OYL106: Versatile, crisp, malty profile, light esters and a wide fermentation range. This is thought to be the world’s most used lager strain and can produce a convincing lager at ale temperatures. Fermenting in the low temperature range (45 – 55° F), it maintains a crisper profile. Temperatures higher in range (65 – 68° F) bring out slightly heightened esters. Rest for diacetyl.
OYL107: Fans of Märzenbier and Oktoberfest Lagers particularly enjoy this strain. The Oktoberfest strain facilitates a smooth, rich, balanced beer with full, malty profile. Make sure to give it a thorough diacetyl rest.
OYL113: This great lager strain is thought to originate from a well-known Mexican brewery. Simply put, it is clean, crisp, bright and versatile.
OYL114: This clean, crisp, lager strain of Bavarian origin ferments at a wide temperature range and flocculates well with minimal diacetyl production. It especially excels in maltier styles, including Dunkels & Märzens.
OYL200: A unique Saccharomyces strain that produces delicate, tart, tropical mango and pineapple fruit characteristics with a clean finish. Try higher fermentation temperatures to really bring out the tropical aspects. It’s stubbornly non-flocculent, but the results are worth the trouble.
OYL210: Contains one Brett-famous brewery strain plus one Sacch strain for huge tropical fruit aroma with a wide temp range. Very dry, mild funk and low acid.
OYL211: Contains the Sacch strain from Blend #1 and is spiked with brux for development of moderate funk in secondary; may take 3+ months to emerge.
OYL212: Contains the one Sacch strain from Blend #1 and is spiked with brux, lambicus, two Brett isolates from a Brett-famous brewery, and two Brett isolates from an “intense” Belgian source, for a funky, fruity, complex, 8‑strain composition.
OYL217: A “coast to coast” blend of one saison strain from a famous Northeast U.S. brewery and one Brett strain from a Northwest U.S. brewery. The blend quickly produces a pleasantly dry beer, filled out with aromas of white wine, hay, and mulled citrus.
OYL218: An evolving blend of many of the Brett strains in our collection. Use in secondary and expect high attenuation and a fruity and funky complexity that continues to develop over time.
OYL400: Ripe banana esters (with a hint of pear) make this new, Omega Yeast original a standout for pastry stouts, milkshake IPAs and other modern ales. For prime banana esters, pitch at 68°F (20°C) and let free rise to 72 – 75°F (22 – 24°C). Unlike its parental Hefeweizen strain, Bananza™ is versatile because it is non-phenolic and therefore incapable of producing clove flavors that would mask its pure banana profile.
OYL401: Sundew’s ripe strawberry, passion fruit, pear, and stone fruit combine to emphasize desirable notes in modern fruity hops. This Omega Yeast original strain was inspired by its parental strain’s fruit esters, which were originally obscured by Belgian phenolic character. Sundew, however, is non-phenolic and incapable of producing the spicy clove flavors that were previously competing with its pure, juicy red-fruit bouquet.
OYL402: Cosmic Punch Ale generates thiols through biotransformation, releasing tropical aromas experienced in southern hemisphere hops and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This punchy strain unleashes vibrant grapefruit, passion fruit and guava notes. Expect the same performance and haze you get from British V, but with additional thiol aromas. Experiment with mash hopping or wine grape-derived products to push even more thiols.
OYL500: Saisonstein® is an Omega-original, genetic hybrid of two Saison strains, the French (OYL026) and Belgian (OYL027). It is versatile, aromatic and attenuative with a silky mouthfeel. It excels in high gravity, and it ferments more reliably and thoroughly than its parents. It is spicy, complex, tart, dry and crisp with some bubblegum character present from its Belgian parent, and more fruit and fewer phenolics than its French parent. Attenuation is 80 – 90% or more.
OYL501: Expect orange-marmalade and peach character with a clean, brut-like finish. Gulo was born at Omega Yeast as the mated offspring of Irish Ale (OYL005) and French Saison (OYL026) and was chosen for exhibiting the best of the Irish strain’s flavor while capturing the powerful attenuation of the French. Non-phenolic, aromatic and a beast at devouring wort sugars, think suitability for IPA (including Brut IPA), stout or Bière de Garde.
OYL605: A Levilactobacillus brevis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (both formerly classified as “Lactobacillus”) blend with a wide temperature range. The L. plantarum, isolated in collaboration with Marz Community Brewing, sours efficiently at its higher end. Do not sour above 95°F (35°C) to prevent stalling. Max souring develops within 24 to 72 hrs. Extremely hop sensitive, however, even 2 IBUs can prevent souring.