quixotic

Recipes 

I'm toying with the idea of trying a yeast combo in one batch, like a hefe strain with a english ale strain or something, to try to get some ester flavors with a cleaner finish.

Has anyone tried combining different commercial strains of yeast into a single batch? Would one strain out compete the other, leaving you with that strain's finish? Or would they work in harmony and give you a mixed result? Of course, I'd have to choose yeasts that prefer the same environments, etc.

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Bridger Brewing Co.
primary: Belgian wit
secondary:oatmeal stout
kegged: marzen
on tap: apfelwein
on tap: Northern Brewer/Vienna SMaSH
on deck: beer

944play

Recipes 

Great Sunday Session on the subject:
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/membersarchive/dwnldarchive11-23-08.mp3

OBTW, it's four hours.

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OD: ?
Pri:-
Keg: Simple AIPA (2-row, Chinook, Cascade, WLP090)

giligson

Recipes 

They will compete to the point that one or two strains may dominate. You may find one strain winning at the beginning and a second doing most of the work near the end.
Some yeast has whats called a "killer" factor that actually destroys any yeast that don't produce it ( for instance K1V-1116) its like an antibiotic that ensures that yeast will dominate. I don't know enough about beer yeasts to tell you which strains may have this "doesn't play well with others" gene.

quixotic

Recipes 

Thanks. I'll have to listen to that later tonight.

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Bridger Brewing Co.
primary: Belgian wit
secondary:oatmeal stout
kegged: marzen
on tap: apfelwein
on tap: Northern Brewer/Vienna SMaSH
on deck: beer

malkore

Recipes 

How is that gonna work? the hefe strain imparts 'temporary esters' that remove themselves from the palate so the ale strain can 'finish clean'?

I don't think so. If you get esters...you have esters. I don't foresee a clean finish.

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

carnevoodoo

Recipes 

I agree with this. If you want a lower ester profile, you need to use a more neutral yeast or ferment at a lower temp. You're not going to be able to handpick the qualities that come from the yeast regardless of quantity. You will likely get properties of both yeasts used, but there will be a dominant strain without a question, and I can see those two clashing quite a bit.

I guess as an experiment, you could always ferment with a clean yeast, rack onto a bunch of sugar and add some of the hefe yeast to see if you can neutralize the profile by limiting the amount of fermentable sugar it has access to.

Or you could split the batch, use two yeast strains, and then blend.

I don't see any of these things being very good, but you might stumble on to something amazing.

mysteryberto

Recipes 

I always imagined the yeast taking sides and having a giant battle. Reality is probably a lot less exciting and has more to do with pitching rate of each yeast and vigor of each yeast...

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Primary: All grain pale ale, Pliny The Elder clone
Bottled:Double Noogie IPA, Amber Ale
Kegged: Brewcraft Dead Guy kit,Apfelwein, Raspberry wheat beer