---
title: "ABV Strain Tolerance: Yeast Parameters"
description: Discover how White Labs categorizes yeast strains by alcohol tolerance using a standardized method with quantitative data, helping brewers choose the best strains for their needs.
---

[All Things Fermentation Blog ](https://blog.whitelabs.com)

# [ABV Strain Tolerance: Yeast Parameters](https://blog.whitelabs.com/abv-strain-tolerance-yeast-parameters)

 Written by [White Labs](https://blog.whitelabs.com/author/white-labs) | March 13, 2023

Recently we’ve worked on a method to categorize our yeast strain's alcohol tolerance level more accurately. We developed a standardized method to give brewers a more quantifiable description. 

In this procedure, we use a media such as YPD and add ethanol in various percentages in a 96-well plate. Yeast is inoculated in each well at various levels, and the growth is measured on a microplate reader over 48 hours. 

Below is a heatmap of our yeast strains and their growth at these alcohol levels. This has helped us determine whether they are high, med, or low-tolerant strains.  

#### A few notes:

- A highly tolerant strain does not indicate that it will attenuate more than another strain. It only reflects the ability of yeast to endure higher concentrations of ethanol.   
- The ABV values here are not the highest a strain can endure. When yeast is inoculated directly into an ethanol solution rather than producing the ethanol itself, it usually has a lower tolerance than in a fermentation.

#### How to interpret this heatmap: 

- As the color fades from red to beige to white, the alcohol tolerance goes down. 
- For example, [WLP545 Belgian Strong Ale Yeast](https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-single?id=163&type=YEAST&srsltid=AfmBOoqP3oZtBPYB29_4ckB1GyGEK-RXrKE70kSWs1a7WYmGt3icHk9I) has a high ABV tolerance, whereas [WLP090 San Diego Super Ale Yeast](https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-single?id=144&type=YEAST&srsltid=AfmBOoonOj6vqiKqugBEo9AFfodm1cX-8zvpBbDUmh9amNzMkbkceGbh) has a relatively lower one. 
- This does not mean a strain cannot reach 12% or 15% ABV in fermentation. We are simply using this assay to categorize strains using quantitative data.

[View full post](https://blog.whitelabs.com/abv-strain-tolerance-yeast-parameters)

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