when using two yeasts?????????????

Just wondering when using two different strands of yeast if they are added at the same time,one ahead of the other,in different batches then mix when the fermentation is complete, mix in the starter???? I'm thinking in different carboys then mix at the end of fermentation..Then i can taste both and decide which is better.
12 gallon batch.
wyeast 1084 irish ale
wyeast 1056 american ale
plan on making starters tonight..what's your opinion??

Split 3 x 4 gallon batches. Make 3 starters. 1 starter with 1084 + 1056, 1 with 1084, and 1 with 1056. Pitch them into their respective carboys. Let them ferment. After all is done, take 1gal of the 1084 and 1gal of the 1056 and combine them. See how the flavor compares to the batch made with the 1084+1056 starter, the 1084 starter, and the 1056 starter.

That's what I'd do if I wanted to get to the bottom of it. Let us know what you find out!

mrkristofo said:

Split 3 x 4 gallon batches. Make 3 starters. 1 starter with 1084 + 1056, 1 with 1084, and 1 with 1056. Pitch them into their respective carboys. Let them ferment. After all is done, take 1gal of the 1084 and 1gal of the 1056 and combine them. See how the flavor compares to the batch made with the 1084+1056 starter, the 1084 starter, and the 1056 starter.

That's what I'd do if I wanted to get to the bottom of it. Let us know what you find out!

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sounds like a damn fine idea...the only thing is i only have two 6 1/2 gallon carboys.. the rest of the fleet is at war. maybe i should start experimenting with smaller batches...Already popped the yeast

I don't brew beer, generally only cider, but the advice is cross applicable...

I would recommend buying a set of 3-5 1 gallon jugs along with the appropriate airlocks for experiments. I actually end up using mine for secondaries a lot, because I generally only make small batches, but with anything that you have questions about seems to merit a small batch try first. Beer is a little bit of a process "pita" in smaller batches as far as I can tell, but this case is easy, because everything until pitching the yeast will be the same, so you can make your normal 5/6 gallon batch and split it.

One reason I took to the small batch method is that a live in an apartment right now. Another is that it is cheaper. The most important reason is that with cider, the batch size doesn't really make anything easier or harder (just a matter of changing measurements), and if you are trying to find something you really love for larger batches, it seems to make sense to make as many attempts as possible. Small batches, at least with cider, also allow for the possibility of brewing inexpensively every weekend. I reserve my large batches for stuff I know I like.

I like that idea of testing with starters, but I also suggest pitching them separately. If your yeasts have different personalities (e.g., lag time, fermentation vigor, attenuation), one may dominate the other. Also, you would have to run that starter test every time, because you don't know exactly how the yeast will behave with each other from time to time. Those yeasties will compete with each other, and one may win out far over the other. It doesn't have to be the same one each time, and it doesn't have to be by the same margin each time, either.

If you split the batch and ferment each separately, then you have a more predictable result. If you want more or less of a certain yeast character in your next batch, you can split accordingly (i.e., 70/30, instead of 50/50).


TL

Buy another carboy! It's $23 in the name of Science...plus, you could use it again!

ScubaSteve said:

Buy another carboy! It's $23 in the name of Science...plus, you could use it again!

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Thanks... i never thought of that