Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer. The eternal maxim surrounding our fantastic hobby. The role of the brewer is to make sure that the right wort, the right yeast, and the right conditions are set up to make a great beer. When I first started formulating my own recipes, yeast selection was one of the most difficult parts of the process. I emulated Guinness, my gateway into dark beers, and read time and again that the yeast used was White Labs 004, Irish Ale Yeast. Unfortunately, my local homebrew shop only carried WYeast. Further research showed that I could also use WYeast 1084, supposedly the same strain. The concept of strains wasn't new to me, but the idea that multiple yeast labs could produce the same strain of yeast was. I've since come to believe that many of the same "strains" sold by different labs aren't exactly the same, but that doesn't change the fact that a different strain may be similar enough to work when your chosen strain isn't available. Below are a few tables which will help you find the right substitute yeast.
We have updated this list to include Imperial Organic Yeasts. These yeasts contain at least 200 Billion cells per container. This is significantly more than the other brands on the list. We have found this to help a great deal in starting and maintaining a healthy fermentation. Having said that, all of the yeasts on this chart are quality yeasts and we have used almost all of them at some time during our brewing journey. Also note that some of these yeasts are seasonal, so you may not be able to get all of them at all times. The yellow underlined yeasts have a link for more information. There are several charts below, so scroll down to see them all.
| Common Name | WYeast | White Labs | Danstar/Fermentis | Imperial | Notes/Other |
| German Ale Dusseldorf Alt | 1007 | WLP036 | G02 Kaiser | WLP029 will work, but enhance hops more so than the other two strains. | |
| American Wheat | 1010 | WLP320 | G02 Kaiser (not a match, but works well) | WLP029 will work, but enhance hops more so than the other two strains. | |
| London Ale | 1028 | WLP013 | S04 (Not an exact match) | A09 Pub, not match, but works well | |
| Chico Strain | 1056 | WLP001 | S05 | A07 Flagship | BRY-97 will also work |
| Irish Ale | 1084 | WLP004 | S04 (Not an exact match) | A10 Darkness | |
| British Ale | 1098 | WLP007 | S04 (Not an exact match) | A01 House | |
| Whitebread | 1099 | WLP017 (Seasonal) | S04 | ||
| Ringwood | 1187 | WLP005 | S04 (Not an exact match) | ||
| American Ale II/California Ale V | 1272 | WLP051 | S05 (Not an exact match) | A15 Independence | |
| Thames Valley Ale/Burton Ale | 1275 | WLP023 | S04 (Not an exact match) | ||
| London Ale III | 1318 | A38 Juice | S04 will work as a substitute, but it isn't exact | ||
| Denny's Favorite | 1450 | S05 (Not an exact match) | Named for the wonderful Denny Conn, check him out on his blog Experimental Homebrewing | ||
| West Yorkshire | 1469 | S04 | WLP002 can be subbed in with good results | ||
| Scottish/Edinburgh | 1728 | WLP028 | A31 Tartan | ||
| London ESB | 1968 | WLP002 | S04 (Not an exact match) | A09 Pub | |
| Kolsch | 2565 | WLP003 (Seasonal) | G03 Dieter | ||
| Belgium -Saccharomyces | 644 | A20 Citrus |
Belgian Ale Yeast Comparison Table
| Common Name | WYeast | White Labs | Danstar/Fermentis | Imperial Yeast |
| Belgian Abbey | 1214 | WLP500 | ||
| Belgian Strong | 1388 | WLP570 | ||
| Belgian Abbey II | 1762 | WLP540 | ||
| Bavarian Wheat Blend | 3056 | WB-06 | ||
| Weihenstephan Weizen | 3068 | WLP300 | G01 Stefon | |
| German Wheat | 3333 (out of production) | WLP380 | ||
| Belgian Ardennes | 3522 | WLP550 | B45 Gnome | |
| Bavarian Wheat | 3638 | WLP351 | ||
| French Saison | 3711 | WLP590 (Seasonal) | Belle Saison | B64 Napoleon |
| Belgian Saison | 3724 | WLP566 | B56 Rustic(not an exact match) | |
| Trappist High Gravity | 3787 | WLP530 | B48 TripleDouble | |
| Belgian Witbier | 3944 | WLP400 | T-58 or WB-06 |
B44 Whiteout |
Lager Yeast Comparison Table
| Common Name | WYeast | White Labs | Danstar/Fermentis | Imperial Yeast | Notes |
| Budvar Lager | 2000 | WLP802 (Not an exact match) | S23 (Not an exact match) | 2000 is a quarterly release Only | |
| Urqell Lager/Pilsner Lager | 2001-PC | WLP800 | S23 (Not an exact match) | L28 Urkel (not an exact match) | 2001 is Quarterly Release Only |
| Pilsen Lager/American Lager | 2007-PC | WLP840 | W34/70 | ||
| American Lager | 2035-PC | WLP840 (Not an exact match) | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | 2035-PC is a quarterly | |
| Danish Lager/Copenhagen Lager | 2042-PC | WLP850 | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | 2042 is a Quarterly Release Only | |
| California Lager/San Fran. Lager | 2112 | WLP810 | S23 (Not an exact match) | L05 CableCar | |
| Bohemian Lager/German Lager | 2124 | WLP830 | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | L13 Global | |
| Bavarian Lager/Oktoberfest Lager | 2206 | WLP820 | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | L17 Harvest (not an exact match) | |
| Czech Pils | 2278 | WLP802 (Not an exact match) | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | L28 Urkel | |
| Munich Lager | 2308 | WLP838 | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | L17 Harvest (not an exact match) | |
| German Lager | 2352 | WLB860 | W34/70 (Not an exact match) | L17 Harvest | 2352 is not in production at this time. |
| Oktoberfest Blend | 2633 | WLP833 | W34/70 (Not an exact match) |
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