mixing yeast

Anybody ever mix a bunch of yeast from their homebrews into a house yeast? I'm mixing 1214, 1056, 1272, 1762 & 1084 together into a big mess, whichever is the strongest yeast will dominate.

I have used more than one yeast for a brew. Recently I did a sour with WLP566 Belgian Saison until the gravity was about halved, then added WLP650 Brett to the mix.

1214 Belgian Abby
1056 American Ale
1272 American Ale II
1762 Belgian Abby II
1084 Irish Ale

Before isolation techniques were developed in 1884, everyone brewed with a mix of yeast strains. It's not unheard of today, but not common either. Most brewery's isolate one strain as their house strain.

Mixing several yeasts sounds like it would produce unpredictable results. Sure, in each batch some yeast will do better than others, but depending on gravity, temperature, sugar composition which one dominates will likely change.

It sounds like trying to tame a bucking bronco.

I agree with Woodland. Additionally, the yeasts you have seem to offer some duplication. I'm not sure there's much benefit to combining 1214 & 1762, or 1056 & 1272.

Consider taking Woodland's approach. Decide how much "Belgian" flavor you want, and either start with that, or finish with it. I personally would leave the American Ale strains out as they don't add a whole lot to your profile. The Irish Ale will accentuate your malt a little more than the American strains.

Of course, much will depend on what kind of beer you want to brew.