The yeast was originally isolated by Albert Klöcker in the anamorphic form in 1912 and classified as Pseudosaccharomyces occidentalis.

[2][3] Because the Pseudosaccharomyces name had already been used since 1906 for an unrelated organism, Alexander Janke proposed an alternative name, Klöckeria, for the genus in 1923, which he corrected in 1928 to Kloeckera.

[3] DNA Testing by S.A. Meyer in 1978 conclusively synonymized the anamorphic yeasts in the Kloeckera genus with their teleomorphic counterparts in the Hanseniaspora genus, and identified Kloeckera javanica as a synonym of Hanseniaspora occidentalis.

[1] Colonies that are grown on malt agar for one month at 25°C appear white to cream-colored, glossy, and smooth.

The yeast has been observed to form one or two sherical and smooth ascospores with an equatorial ledge when grown for at least one week on 5% Difco malt extract agar.

[1] The yeast can ferment glucose and sucrose, but not galactose, maltose, lactose, raffinose or trehalose.