Combining/Pitching 2 Yeasts

Has anyone tried making their own hybrid yeast by combining different harvested yeast or starters, ect? I am wondering what the fermentation results would be....

I have not done that. I read somewhere (possibly the yeast book) or heard (on the brewing network), can't remember, that you can mix yeasts to get different flavors. They went on to say that after a few generations one yeast will start to outcompete the other yeast and take over the beer.

Jamil's book recommends for some sour beers to start with a clean yeast and then add the bugs after the first yeast has done much of the work. Keeps the sourness/acidity in check.

Yeah, the yeast book as well as some of the shows on the BN have mentioned pitching multiple yeasts. You'll get a partial contribution of flavor from each strain, but there's also something synergistic about two yeasts working together (against each other?) that makes the product different from if you separately fermented the same recipe and then blended.

And definitely one will start outcompeting the other. My recommendation would be to give it a try, and if you like the results, start keeping slurry of each strain on hand separately, and then combine them in measured ratios with each batch... no reharvesting from the mix here.

I've pitched multiple strains before - no problems. I pitched some dry us-05 along with some liquid that didn't seem to be coming along in the starter. You wont create a new strain but the beer will be unique. I've never gone more than one batch so I can't speak about multiple generations.

I do it alot but with Belgian yeast of the same style.

Mix all together into 1 starter -> grow and spilt into a handful of whitelabs tubes- > now I have a primary blend in each tube that is used to make another starter for each new batch.

The idea started with saison yeast I recultured from bottles to be blended with wyeast 3711, also did the same with WLP550 & Saxo yeast. Now I blend wlp 550 & wyeast 3522 with yeast from Lupulus blonde.(house blend for blond beers)

I repitch a couple times (2-3) before making a new starter from the primary tubes.

Does it make better beer? who knows but I feel it adds something xtra

TheHalfDime said:

Has anyone tried making their own hybrid yeast by combining different harvested yeast or starters, ect? I am wondering what the fermentation results would be....

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Normally I don't do this but I recently ran into a situation where the yeast I had on the starter was not showing any signs of life so I pitched some harvested yeast (same general strain) and then also hit it with some 05. The beer turned out amazing. Can't help but think that my "Frankenyeast" had something to do with it. Montanaandy

Houblon said:

Mix all together into 1 starter -> grow and spilt into a handful of whitelabs tubes- > now I have a primary blend in each tube that is used to make another starter for each new batch.

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That's a really good idea. A little thought upfront that will save some time and bucks down the road.

I did this, but haven't tasted the results yet. For my Barley Wine, I didn't really have enough of any one yeast ready to go, so I used some US-05, some S-04, and some WY1338 (I think). A bunch of rinsed yeast all pitched in there together. I was hoping to get the attenuation of 05, the flocculation of 04, and the flavor of 1338. Hopefully I didn't get some horrible other combination, but the sample at kegging seemed pretty good.

Seems like a cool idea to blend a few and harvest that blend to make a completely custom house yeast.