Best Practices 

IPA Solutions
India Pale Ale (IPA) is a beer style defined by higher hopping rates. The original IPAs were brewed in the late 18th century
with more hops and higher levels of alcohol than a typical pale ale in order to survive the long voyage to India. The modern
IPA family includes a diverse range of beer styles that are all defined by their very prominent hoppy character.
The choice of yeast strain is an important consideration in brewing any IPA style. Each yeast strain produces unique flavor
compounds that directly impact the aroma of the final beer, from relatively neutral to more fruity esters. The level of
attenuation will impact the perception of bitterness and the level of flocculation will impact the clarity of the finished beer.
Recent research is uncovering how different yeast strains can influence flavor and aroma by interacting with specific hop-derived
flavor compounds, a process called biotransformation. The Lallemand Brewing R&D lab has identified specific enzyme activities
in several LalBrew® Premium strains that are important for biotransformation, including β-glucosidase and β-lyase.
The combination of primary yeast metabolism (attenuation, production of esters, flocculation) and secondary interactions
with hop compounds (biotransformation) will determine the flavor and aroma of the finished beer.
Armed with this data, the brewer is well equipped to choose the best yeast for each IPA style. Lallemand Brewing is at the forefront of hop flavor and aroma
research and we are ready to help you with any questions about brewing hoppy beer styles.
#WeBrewWithYou

VERDANT
IPA
IPA-STYLE
ALE YEAST

Quick facts
AT T E N UAT I O N A N D S TA N DA R D AT T E N UAT I O N A N D S TA N DA R D AT T E N UAT I O N A N D S TA N DA R D AT T E N UAT I O N A N D S TA N DA R D AT T E N UAT I O N A N D S TA N DA R D
D E V. I N 12 ° P S TA N DA R D WO R T D E V. I N 12 ° P S TA N DA R D WO R T D E V. I N 12 ° P S TA N DA R D WO R T D E V. I N 12 ° P S TA N DA R D WO R T D E V. I N 12 ° P S TA N DA R D WO R T
81.2 (2.0) 83.2 (0.9) 78.3 (3.2) 68.6 (1.8) 83.6 (1.2)
FLO CC U L AT I O N FLO CC U L AT I O N FLOCCULATION FLO CC U L AT I O N FLO CC U L AT I O N
Medium High Medium Low High
A LCO H O L TO L E R A N C E A LCO H O L TO L E R A N C E A LCO H O L TO L E R A N C E A LCO H O L TO L E R A N C E A LCO H O L TO L E R A N C E
9% ABV 13% ABV 10% ABV 12% ABV 14% ABV
B I O T R A N S FO R M AT I O N B I O T R A N S FO R M AT I O N B I O T R A N S FO R M AT I O N B I O T R A N S FO R M AT I O N B I O T R A N S FO R M AT I O N
β-glucosidase High β-glucosidase High β-glucosidase Medium β-glucosidase Medium β-glucosidase Medium
β-lyase Low β-lyase Medium β-lyase High β-lyase Low β-lyase Medium

Flavor & Aroma

LE TROPIC LE TROPIC LE TROPIC LE TROPIC LE TROPIC
PP AL PP AL PP AL PP AL PP AL
DA FR DA FR DA FR DA FR DA FR
RE UI RE UI RE UI RE UI RE UI
T T T T T
L

L
BA

BA

BA

BA
L

BA
RA

RA

RA

RA
RA
NA

NA

NA

NA
NA
UT

UT

UT

UT
UT
NA

NA

NA

NA
NA
NE

NE

NE

NE
NE
GREEN APP

GREEN APP

GREEN APP

GREEN APP
GREEN APP
OHOLIC
OHOLIC

OHOLIC

OHOLIC
OHOLIC
ALC

ALC

ALC

ALC
ALC
LE

LE
LE

LE
LE
C

C
C
R

R
R

LO LO LO LO
R

E E E LO E E
PP VE PP VE
PP VE PP VE PP VE
PE PE PE PE PE
ACI D AC I D AC I D ACI D ACI D

Peach, tropical, dry Neutral, clean, dry Apricot, smooth, Sweet, fruity, full body Neutral, clean, dry
medium body

www.lallemandbrewing.com
 Best Practices 

IPA Solutions
FERMENTATION KINETICS & FLOCCULATION
 
14
12 


10

º 


8
6 

4  
2


0
0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168
     




Figure 1: Fermentation kinetics of different IPA yeast strains. A standard Figure 2: Relative flocculation of traditional IPA yeast strains according to
pale 12°P wort was prepared from malt extract, pitched with 100g/hL of ASBC method Yeast-11 (Helm assay).
yeast and fermented at 20°C.

BIOTRANSFORMATION
β-glucosidase β-lyase Biotransformation activities of IPA yeast strains
Linalyl Glycoside (non-volatile) 4MSP (volatile) β   β 

β-lyase 
β-glucosidase

Cys-4MSP
Linalool (volatile) (non-volatile) Cysteine
Glucose
     

Figure 3: β-glucosidase activity results in the Figure 4: β-lyase activity results in the
release of an aromatic terpene (and a glucose formation of volatile sulfur compounds called Figure 5: Relative activities of β-glucosidase and
molecule) from a non-aromatic terpenyl thiols, which are usually associated with tropical β-lyase in different IPA yeast strains. β-glucosidase was
glycoside. Terpenes can have diverse flavor aroma and are active at very low flavor measured as secreted enzyme activity using a standard
impacts (citrus, floral) and higher levels of thresholds. In this example, aromatic 4MSP is chemical glycoside substrate. β-lyase activity was
terpenes are associated with greater overall hop released from a non-aromatic cysteinylated measured by growth on selective media containing a
aroma intensity (OHAI). In this example, aromatic precursor. specific sulfur-based precursor. Relative activities are
linalool is released from a non-aromatic linalyl- shown for comparison, but β-glucosidase and β-lyase
glycoside. activities cannot be directly compared with each other.

BEER STYLE CHART

NEW ENGLAND

V E R D A N T I PA
NOTTINGHAM

P H I L LY S O U R

AROMAZYME

In addition to the traditional IPA yeast strains, many brewers Strains BY

WINDSOR
B R Y- 9 7

are experimenting with alternative yeast strains to produce

KÖLN

VOSS

BEER STYLE
hoppy beer styles. The LalBrew Koln™ strain produces an
excellent fruity ester profile and has β-glucosidase activity B L AC K I PA
levels similar to the LalBrew® New England strain. The
TRADITIONAL IPA STRAINS

ALTERNATIVE IPA STRAINS

B RU T I PA
HOP A ROM A ENZ Y MES

LalBrew Voss™ strain produces citrus aromas and has high

D O U B L E I PA
β-glucosidase and medium-low β-lyase activity. The
WildBrew Philly Sour™ strain is ideal for Sour IPAs – kettle E N G L I S H I PA
bittering hops can be used with this hop tolerant Lachancea N E W E N G L A N D I PA
yeast species capable of producing lactic acid and ethanol
S E S S I O N I PA
during primary fermentation. The ABV Aromazyme™ pure
β-glucosidase enzyme gives the brewer greater control S O U R I PA
over biotransformation activity. W E S T C O A S T I PA

For more information, you can reach us via email at  www.lallemandbrewing.com
brewing@lallemand.com