WLP002 / English Ale
The classic English ESB strain. High flocculation, fruity esters, signature stone-fruit character.
What it tastes like
If you've had Fuller's London Pride, ESB, or Vintage Ale, you've tasted this yeast. WLP002 (and its Wyeast counterpart 1968) is the strain that defines English bitter, ESB, and traditional English-style ales. It produces apple-and-stone-fruit esters, drops crystal-clear thanks to extreme flocculation, and finishes with a slight residual sweetness that balances English malts beautifully. It's the opposite of US-05 in personality — assertive and characterful where Chico is invisible.
Best in these styles
Fermentation profile
Ferments cleanly at the cool end of ale temps. Drops aggressively — most beers are clear within a week of fermentation finishing. Lower attenuation than Chico means more body and residual sweetness; this is a feature for English styles that want malt presence, not a bug. Some brewers rouse the yeast (gentle CO2 bubble or gentle swirl) mid-fermentation to keep it from settling too early.
Available as
WLP002 / English Ale is sold under multiple supplier brand names — same or near-identical strain.
| Format | Supplier | Product code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid | White Labs | WLP002 English Ale | 100B cells |
| Liquid | Wyeast | 1968 London ESB | 100B cells |
| Liquid | Imperial | Pub A09 | 200B cells |
Comparable strains
If you can't source this strain, these alternatives bring overlapping character or fermentation behavior.
History
Believed to descend from the Fuller's brewery house culture (London, England) — Fuller's has been brewing on the same site since 1845. The strain became commercially available through White Labs and Wyeast in the late 1990s. Many of the best American interpretations of English bitter and ESB use this strain or a close descendant.