Which yeast is used for top fermentation of ale beer?
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Within that genera, there are two specific species of Saccharomyces yeast that get the most use: lager yeast and ale yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a top-fermenting ale yeast, and most likely the yeast that brewers were inadvertently brewing with over 3,000 years ago.
Is ale top-fermenting yeast?
Ales are brewed with a top-fermenting yeast, while Lagers are brewed with a bottom-fermenting yeast. What does this mean to you? Hold on for a minute while we geek out just a bit. Top-Fermenting yeast or Saccharomyces cerevisiae as we like to call it, is the most common yeast out there.
Where does ale yeast ferment?
Technically speaking, Ale yeasts are more broadly defined as “top-fermenting yeast”. This means that the yeast goes to work metabolizing and fermenting the beer at the top of the fermentation tank (near the surface of the wort).
Why does ale yeast float?
The fast action of this yeast species brews the ale in as short a time as a week, with the yeast products floating to the top due to the increased motion within the fermentation vessel.
What is the difference between top fermentation and bottom fermentation?
Top-fermenting tends to yield more flavor, as esters (a byproduct of both kinds of fermenting) are more pronounced in warm fermenting, as are phenols (which include things like tannin). Lager, on the other hand, is bottom-fermented, meaning the yeast works at the bottom of the wort, at a much lower temperature.
Is ale yeast bottom-fermenting?
The difference is this: how was the beer fermented? Ale is top-fermented, meaning the yeast is applied to the top of the wort, and at a higher temperature. Top-fermenting is the oldest method, and the yeast used for it is called Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Are ales top or bottom fermented?
top-fermenting yeast
Ales are fermented with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures (60˚–70˚F), and lagers are fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at cold temperatures (35˚–50˚F). Because of their warm fermentations, ales can generally ferment and age in a relatively short period of time (3-5 weeks).