strain family
English ale yeast
Highly flocculent, moderately attenuating ale strains that leave residual sweetness and produce soft stone-fruit esters.
High flocculation is the defining trait: these strains drop out early and hard, which is what allows cask beer to clear naturally in a few days. It also means they under-attenuate relative to American strains, leaving the malt sweetness that British ales are built around.
Behaviour
| Fermentation temperature | 18–22°C |
|---|---|
| Apparent attenuation | 65–75% |
| Flocculation | very high |
| Esters | moderate |
| Phenols | none |
Used in
- Ordinary bitter
The everyday British cask ale: low in strength, gently bitter, and built to be drunk in pints over a whole evening.
- Best bitter
A step up from ordinary bitter in strength and depth, with more malt body while staying firmly sessionable.
- Strong bitter
The strongest of the bitters, with pronounced malt richness, firm bitterness and noticeable fruit from warm fermentation.
- British golden ale
A modern British cask style: pale, crisp and citrus-hopped, developed to win drinkers back from lager.
- English pale ale
The bottled British pale ale tradition: biscuity malt, earthy and floral English hops, and a firm, dry, mineral finish.
- Irish red ale
An easy-drinking malt-led ale with caramel sweetness and a distinctive dry, faintly roasty finish.
- Australian sparkling ale
A highly carbonated, bottle-conditioned Australian pale ale, fruity and dry, traditionally poured to rouse its yeast.
- English IPA
The original IPA: a strong, firmly bitter English pale ale with earthy, floral hop character and a dry, mineral finish.
- Dark mild
A low-strength dark British ale, gently sweet and nutty, built for drinking in quantity after physical work.
- English brown ale
A malt-led brown ale with hazelnut and caramel character, moderate strength and a dry, clean finish.
- Scottish ale
Malt-forward Scottish ales with caramel depth and very restrained hopping, traditionally graded by shilling price.
- Wee heavy
A strong, intensely malty Scottish ale with deep caramel and dried fruit and almost no hop presence.