Home Brew Forums > Home Brewing Beer > Beginners Beer Brewing Forum > Mixing yeast strains




Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-06-2012, 08:34 PM   #1
Brew-Jay
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Fulleron, CA
Posts: 185
Liked 24 Times on 19 Posts
Likes Given: 7

Default Mixing yeast strains

I was wondering if anyone here has dabbled with mixing two or more different types of yeast. Is there any reason why that should not done?


__________________
“In Vino Veritas, In Cervesio Felicitas” — Anonymous
Brew-Jay is offline
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 08:37 PM   #2
Golddiggie
AHA Member
Feedback Score: 1 reviews
 
Golddiggie's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Nashua, NH
Posts: 11,970
Liked 436 Times on 393 Posts
Likes Given: 266

Default

Depends on what you want to mix and how you plan to mix them. IMO, I wouldn't do it for a brew unless you had a damned great reason. It's better to select a single yeast that will get you what you want, or be close enough to not matter, then try to Frankenstein a couple of strains thinking you know what you'll get.


__________________
My RocketHub Project

Hopping Tango Brewery

跟猴子比丟屎 ・ Gun HOE-tze bee DIO-se

On Tap: Caramel Ale, Mocha Porter II, MO SMaSH IPA
Waiting/Carbonating: 12.5% Wee Honey II, 8.9% Old Ale, English Brown Ale, Lickah ESB, Mocha Porter II
Fermenting
K1: MO SMaSH IPA
K2:
K3: TripSix
On Deck: Caramel Ale
Aging:mead
Mead [bottled]:Oaked Wildflower Traditional, Mocha Madness, Blackberry Melomel, maple wine


...the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
Golddiggie is offline
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 08:39 PM   #3
kh54s10
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Tiverton, Rhode Island
Posts: 4,052
Liked 248 Times on 203 Posts
Likes Given: 70

Default

It is done. In fact both Wyeast and White Labs both sell blends.

I did it once, but that was because I hadn't made a starter.
kh54s10 is online now
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 08:46 PM   #4
Golddiggie
AHA Member
Feedback Score: 1 reviews
 
Golddiggie's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Nashua, NH
Posts: 11,970
Liked 436 Times on 393 Posts
Likes Given: 266

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by kh54s10 View Post
It is done. In fact both Wyeast and White Labs both sell blends.
Wyeast offers a handful of blends, with it split between yeast/yeast and yeast/bacteria combinations. IMO, IF you're going to do a blend, better off doing one that has been done with predictable results, not just go off and do it yourself. BTW, all but one from Wyeast are Belgian strains. The other is a lager (Octoberfest blend) pack.

Quote:
I did it once, but that was because I hadn't made a starter.
Did it give you anything close to what you had expected/wanted?? Blending a pair of very similar yeasts is one thing, but trying to blend to dissimilar yeasts can be very unpredictable. Especially if they work in different temperature ranges, different alcohol tolerance levels, etc.

I still think selecting a single packet/vial of yeast to do the job is a far better idea. Even if that's a packaged blend. Unless you have a microbiology background/degree at least...
__________________
My RocketHub Project

Hopping Tango Brewery

跟猴子比丟屎 ・ Gun HOE-tze bee DIO-se

On Tap: Caramel Ale, Mocha Porter II, MO SMaSH IPA
Waiting/Carbonating: 12.5% Wee Honey II, 8.9% Old Ale, English Brown Ale, Lickah ESB, Mocha Porter II
Fermenting
K1: MO SMaSH IPA
K2:
K3: TripSix
On Deck: Caramel Ale
Aging:mead
Mead [bottled]:Oaked Wildflower Traditional, Mocha Madness, Blackberry Melomel, maple wine


...the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
Golddiggie is offline
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 08:50 PM   #5
bob3000
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Leeds, UK
Posts: 262
Liked 9 Times on 3 Posts
Likes Given: 1

Default

Lots of English breweries have duel strains. I can't imagine anything catastrophic would happen if you pitched two different strains.
bob3000 is offline
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 08:55 PM   #6
TyTanium
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 3,651
Liked 397 Times on 307 Posts
Likes Given: 357

Default

Ferment separately, then blend post-fermentation if desirable.
TyTanium is offline
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 08:58 PM   #7
Qhrumphf
Stay Rude, Stay SHARP
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
 
Qhrumphf's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 3,708
Liked 459 Times on 353 Posts
Likes Given: 122

Default

I've always used a single strain/commercial blend, unless I'm adding something for a specific reasion- namely Brett/bugs.

There's an additional Wyeast blend other than the Belgian/Octoberfest strains. There's a "Bavarian Wheat Blend" that's apparently a phenolic weizen strain plus a cleaner strain. I used it by mistake in my Dunkelweizen. Wasn't what I wanted (too clean), but it's not bad.
__________________
Up Next: English Barleywine, Quadrupel, Ordinary Bitter
Primary: Accidental Lambic, Saison, Tripel, Petite Saison
Secondary: (empty)
Bottled: Brett B. Tripel, Dubbel, Robust Porter, Black IPA, Cal Common, APA, ESB, Imperial Red, Oatmeal Stout, Tafelbier, Chili Pepper Smoked Porter(s)
Qhrumphf is online now
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 09:19 PM   #8
kh54s10
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Tiverton, Rhode Island
Posts: 4,052
Liked 248 Times on 203 Posts
Likes Given: 70

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by kh54s10 View Post

I did it once, but that was because I hadn't made a starter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Golddiggie View Post

Did it give you anything close to what you had expected/wanted?? Blending a pair of very similar yeasts is one thing, but trying to blend to dissimilar yeasts can be very unpredictable. Especially if they work in different temperature ranges, different alcohol tolerance levels, etc.
I'm not sure what I was actually looking for so I cannot say whether it was what I expected but it turned out very good.

It may be that one yeast took over.

I called it "Floored IPA"

5 lbs Warminster Floor-malted Maris Otter
4 lbs American 2 row Pale
6 oz American Crystal 60
4 oz Cara-Pils

1 oz Galena 50 min.
.5 oz US Tettnang 15 min
.5 Liberty 5 min.

I used harvested American Ale 1056 and Trappist High Gravity 3787.

These were from the only jars of washed yeast I had on hand at the time. There was not enough of either to pitch just one.

That one was well received and is long gone.

Unpredictable, not reproduce-able but great nonetheless.
kh54s10 is online now
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 09:21 PM   #9
RobertRGeorge
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Nelson, Bc
Posts: 514
Liked 45 Times on 35 Posts
Likes Given: 9

Default

I have finished a beer with ale yeast after cold lagering with lager yeast. The result is crisp and dry like a cream ale.
RobertRGeorge is offline
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Old 09-06-2012, 09:23 PM   #10
beergolf
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
 
beergolf's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: collingswood, nj
Posts: 3,148
Liked 201 Times on 174 Posts
Likes Given: 48

Default

I did it with a tripel I brewed. I mixed 1214 and 3787. Brew came out great. You could taste the two yeasts, but the 3787 was a little more prominent. 1214 is slow to start so I would pitch the 1214, give it a few hours head start and then pitch the 3787 next time I do it.

Mixing two strains is very doable if the both have similar temp ranges. Have some fun and give it a try.


beergolf is online now
 
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Reply

Quick Reply
Message:
Options
Thread Tools
Display Modes




FOLLOW US ON