How Many Strains Do Most Breweries Use?

[zgardener]

So I've been reading a lot, and I know that most brewers have a house yeast, but do they use a wide variety of strains for each style, or so they mainly stick with their house strain?

 

[remilard]

A lot use 1. A lot use 2 or 3 (adding a single lager yeast and a single belgian yeast). They would rarely use more than one yeast in the same basic category as they almost certainly practice repitching.

 

[BigEd]

I think you will find that most commercial breweries use the same yeast for all their beers. Obvious exceptions would be those that brew both ales and lagers or specialty styles like Belgians or super high gravity brews such as some of the Sam Adams and Dogfishhead offerings.

 

[xerotime]

The brewery that I work at uses 2. One lager (WLP830) and one ale (WLP001)

 

[Teacher]

Most keep it as simple as they can for fear of cross-contamination and because they get to really know the yeast(s) they do use.

 

[bayareabeer]

We use two strains one for ales and one for lagers

 

[Myke_J]

The brewery I work at uses Wyeast 1056 exclusively.

 

[evan38109]

I took a tour at a local craft brewery where they claimed that they used something like 22 different strains.

 

[david_42]

My local uses two, regular and Belgian.