18 Lager Yeasts Under the Microscope: What Our Latest Trial Taught Us About Flavour and Performance
For decades, commercial lager brewing has operated under a near-monoculture. While ale brewers revel in an expansive playground of expressive British strains, biotransforming hazies, extremophile kveiks, and spicy Belgian yeasts, lager cellars worldwide remain anchored to Weihenstephan 34/70 and its derivatives. There’s a good reason for this global lager yeast hegemony: it’s a reliable, clean, cold-tolerant workhorse.
But as the craft lager revolution evolves, brewers are actively seeking distinct points of difference to set their lagers apart from the rest of the pack.
At Escarpment Labs, we decided to put 18 distinct lager yeasts to the test. The research was conducted by our research partners at the University of Guelph (Bryan Chalk at the George van der Merwe laboratory). Performed as miniature fermentations in full biological triplicate under standardized cool fermentation conditions (12°C in 11.8°P all-malt wort), this study tracked fermentation kinetics, sugars and alcohol via HPLC, and volatile aroma chemistry via GC headspace analysis.
In terms of strain selection, we selected strains representing popular commercial options from our strain collection, as well as newly added strains from the Le Labo collection, as well as some uncommon strains from our bank (Unetsichum is a Czech-derived strain popular among Quebec brewers, while W109 and W34/78 are strains from the Weihenstephan collection). Our objective was to test a broad range of lager yeasts to understand the current state of lager yeast aroma and functional diversity, and ultimately to help make better recommendations for strain selection and substitution.
Plus, maybe we could identify some gaps for future strain development ;-) Here is what the data taught us.
The Lineup
We evaluated strains across three main groups classifications, which have all been verified genetically (more on that in the future):
• Frohberg-Type Lager Strains (Group II): The dominant industrial lineage, including 3470, W34/78, Isar, Czech, Autobahn, Mexican Lager, American Lager, Copenhagen, W109, Staffelberg, Superlager, Unetsichum, On Deck, Bohemienne II, and Lager Especial.
• Saaz-Type Lager Strains (Group I): Triploid-like hybrids represented by Saaz and Uno Lager strains. These are not in common use in most breweries.
• Ale-Type “Lagers” (S. cerevisiae): Strains historically handled as lager yeasts that are pure S. cerevisiae, represented by Premium Pils (more on this story to come in the future, we promise).
Lager Fermentation: Sprint vs. Marathon?
Your eyes don’t deceive you: Most lager strains have very similar fermentation and pH curves. In the same wort, the Frohberg strains landed within a tight band of final apparent attenuation (84.1% to 86.5% - Note, this was a very fermentable wort). This is likely because they do not have much variance in their wort sugar consumption genetics.
In contrast, the Saaz strains shows incomplete maltotriose consumption and a much higher finishing gravity.
Which strain hit the highest attenuation? Superlager reached 86.5% AA, making it an exceptional candidate for dry styles like contemporary Mexican lagers or ultra-crisp West Coast pilsners.
Takeaway: Strain selection doesn’t matter hugely in terms of kinetics. Interestingly, Premium Pils, while being technically not a lager yeast, was one of the fastest and most attenuative.
Lager Yeast is Not Always "Neutral"
Heatmap cluster of aroma compound data measured with GC headspace analysis. Strains and metabolites are clustered into groups.
GC headspace profiling demonstrates meaningful aromatic variation across our strains. We clustered the 18 strains into distinct groups based on their ester and higher alcohol production.
• The Neutral Cluster (e.g. 3470, Isar, Superlager, Autobahn): Low-to-moderate ester formation with balanced fusels. This provides a clean malt-and-hop balance with zero distracting notes.
• The Expressive Cluster (e.g. W34/78, W109, Czech, Copenhagen): Higher levels of ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, and elevated higher alcohols may impart bright red apple, pear, and subtle floral character.
• The Saaz Outliers (Saaz, Uno): Both Saaz-type strains clustered together due to elevated terminal acetaldehyde (20–22 mg/L) suggesting incomplete fermentation or a need for longer lagering.
Takeaway: Treat your lager yeast as a flavour ingredient. Many lagers benefit from the blank canvas of a strain like Isar, while other lagers can be elevated by the subtle orchard-fruit esters of a strain like Czech Lager.
A Note on the Missing Biergarten Lager
Attentive brewers may notice that Biergarten Lager is absent from this 18-strain panel. We must officially set the record straight: Biergarten was omitted due to a sampling mix-up on the lab bench, and to ensure accountability, it was Richard’s fault, not Bryan’s! Generally speaking, Biergarten’s phenotype sits between Isar Lager (neutral) and Czech Lager (ester-forward).
Rethinking the Monoculture: Your Next Lager Awaits
The craft beer industry, as we’ve known it, has treated lager yeast like a solved problem: pitch 34/70, keep it cold, and move on. But as this trial proves, lager yeast has flavour diversity. The functional and aromatic diversity across Frohberg, Saaz, and non-traditional lines gives you real, measurable levers to shape your finished beer.
Depending on whether you’re looking to push high attenuation for a West Coast Pilsner, build a rich, orchard-fruit ester profile for a Czech Pale Lager, or stick to a rock-solid neutral workhorse that let’s your heritage malts since, the data shows that strain selection matters.
It’s time to step outside the monoculture and explore what else lager yeast can do for your tap list.
Give your next lager a distinct competitive edge with performance and real sensory differentiation by exploring our full Lager Collection today!
