LalBrew® House Ale vs the competition
Yeast strains can make a big difference when it comes to the flavor and finish of beer. Having just received the new House Ale Yeast from Lallemand, we were wondering how it really stacks up compared to favorites like Safale US-05, Windsor Ale, Apex San Diego, and Wyeast 1062 London Ale. Our test recipes are lower gravity English style beer, mildly hopped, that was designed to showcase the effect of the varying yeast strains on the beer without being influenced by high hopping rates or higher alcohol content.
First Test Recipe for 5 Gallons
5 lbs. William's Belgian Pale Malt Extract (30 minute boil)
1.5 ounce Hallertau Mittelfrauh hops (added at the start of the 30 minute boil)
.5 ounce Hallertau Mittelfrauh hops (added at flameout)
Starting gravity: 1.042
The beer was started on 10/10/25 and bottled on 10/20/25. Fermentation temperature averaged 71° F.
Final gravity results:
1062 Wyeast London Ale (our item Y62): 1.010 (a slight bit cloudy on bottling date)
LalBrew House Ale (our item Y95): 1.010 (very clear on bottling date)
LalBrew Windsor Ale (our item Y05): 1.014 (clear on bottling date)
Fermentis SafAle US-05 (our item Y11): 1.010 (clear on bottling date)
Apex San Diego Ale Yeast (our item Y92): 1.012 (slight cloudiness on bottling date)
The Tasting on 10/31/25:
We had three tasters examine the beers in a blind tasting.
1062 Wyeast London Ale:
Paul: Smooth flavor, my first place.
Bill: Good, second only to Windsor Ale
David: Clear winnerLalBrew House Ale:
Paul: Smooth flavor, okay second flavor, my second place
Bill: Good, second only to Windsor Ale
David: Not my favorite
LalBrew Windsor Ale:
Paul: Nice flavor of fruit, my second place yeast
Bill: Nice body and balanced flavor, first place
David: Okay, fruity flavor, my third place
Fermentis SafAle US-05
Paul: Nice initial bite, but slight sour in aftertaste
Bill: Not good, my least favorite
David: Buttery smooth, a bit bitter, my second place
Apex San Diego Ale Yeast
Paul: Okay, but finish does not have it
Bill: Smooth, good, a bit hazy
David: Bland, flavorless, similar to LalBrew House Ale
For fairness, we then brewed another very low gravity batch with the same yeasts.
Second Test Recipe for 5 Gallons
4 lbs. William's Belgian Pale Malt Extract (30 minute boil)
1.5 oz. Hallertau Mittelfrauh hops (added at the star of the boil)
.5 oz. Hallertau Mittelfrauh hops (added at flameout)
Starting gravity: 1.031
The beer was started on 11/1/2025 and bottled on 11/11/2025
Final gravity results:
1062 Wyeast London Ale (our item Y62): 1.014 (a slight bit cloudy on bottling date)
LalBrew House Ale (our item Y95): 1.008 (clear on bottling date)
LalBrew Windsor Ale (our item Y05): 1.009 (cloudy on bottling date)
Fermentis SafAle US-05 (our item Y11): 1.008 (semi-clear on bottling date)
Apex San Diego Ale Yeast (our item Y92): 1.008 (semi-clear on bottling date)
The Second Tasting on 11/14/25
We had the same three tasters examine the beers in a blind tasting.
1062 Wyeast London Ale:
Paul: Tastes thin, smooth flavor
Bill: Good, tied with Apex Ale for best of the tasting
David: My least favorite, detected an off flavor in the aftertaste
LalBrew House Ale:
Paul: Dry Flavor, good, tied with Windsor Ale Yeast and US-05
Bill: Smooth, thin flavor
David: First place, clean, crisp, fruity
LalBrew Windsor Ale
Paul: Smooth, good flavor, my favorite
Bill: Smooth, tied with Lalbrew House Yeast for best
David: Second place, very clean finish
Fermetis SafAle US-05:
Paul: Third place, better than Wyeast 1062 London Ale
Bill: Last place, a fruity off flavor in the finish
David: 4th place, very thin flavor
Apex San Diego Ale Yeast:
Paul: My least favorite
Bill: Good, very similar to 1062 London Ale
David: Very dry, little body, my third place choice.
What to make of all this? At first glance, it appears to be results are all over the map, like throwing darts. Perhaps the more accurate conclusion is that people have varying taste preferences and perceive the same beers differently. Ten years ago, when we ran similar tastings, the liquid Wyeast and or White Labs always came out on top. Now it appears that dry ale yeast has largely caught up to liquid ale yeast in its ability to produce a clean beer with a smooth aftertaste, which is a good thing, as it is more affordable and easier to use.
One thing we noticed with LalBrew House Ale Yeast is that is does ferment a little faster than all the other strains tested (it got down to final gravity about a day quicker than the others), and always settles out quickly and completely. So the marketing claims for LalBrew House Ale appear to be correct - it will make for a more efficient brew house and let you get beers through your equipment faster. This is of course more important for brew pubs and commercial brewers than it is for us at home, but it is something to keep in mind.
