US-05 / Chico
The clean American ale workhorse. The most-used yeast in craft brewing.
What it tastes like
If you've had an American IPA, pale ale, or amber ale brewed since 1980, you've tasted US-05 — or one of its identical siblings. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale popularized it. It produces remarkably clean, neutral fermentation that lets hops and malt express themselves without yeast character getting in the way. This is the default yeast for American craft, period.
Best in these styles
Fermentation profile
Starts fast, finishes dry. Will produce slight peach/citrus esters above 70°F, but stays remarkably clean at recommended temps. Drops out slowly — many brewers cold-crash to clear.
Available as
US-05 / Chico is sold under multiple supplier brand names — same or near-identical strain.
| Format | Supplier | Product code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry yeast | Fermentis | US-05 | 11.5g |
| Dry yeast | Lallemand | BRY-97 | 11g Slight difference in attenuation; some brewers prefer it |
| Liquid | Wyeast | 1056 | 100B cells |
| Liquid | White Labs | WLP001 | 100B cells |
| Liquid | Imperial | A07 Flagship | 200B cells |
Comparable strains
If you can't source this strain, these alternatives bring overlapping character or fermentation behavior.
History
Isolated from a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale fermentation in the late 1970s and propagated through White Labs, Wyeast, and Fermentis. It's been the default yeast of American craft beer for over 40 years. Some sources claim it descends from the Ballantine Ale strain; the lineage is debated but the impact is not.