My Experience Blending Yeast

Brewed a holiday ale with a yeast blend. It's still fermenting, but wanted to share my experiences since I've decided I want to attempt this beer again, but with different yeasts.

The goal was a high gravity holiday red with natural spiciness coming from a blend of yeasts, chinook hops, and a helping of rye. I used WLP568 Saison/Belgian and WLP380 Hefeweizen IV.


Short Version: These yeasts did not seem to blend well. No off flavors, but the Saison definitely took over. I believe the main problem is that these two yeasts like different temps, and I need to choose two yeasts that have closer preferences.


I brewed and racked my wort onto a fresh cake (about half washed away to save) of Saison yeast. I left it on there for 5 days, until fermentation started to calm down.

When it calmed down, I racked it onto the fresh Weizen cake (again some washed away). I boiled up ~1pound table sugar and ~2/3pound light DME to give the weizen yeast something to enjoy.

My fermentation halted at 1.025 (goal was 1.016-1.020). I slapped my heat belt on and swirled the carboy to get more yeast into suspension. It has sense come down to ~1.022 and is no longer too sweet. It is clear that the Saison yeast has become dominant.


I will do this again with blended yeasts but will use different ones. I think I will go with: WLP545 Belgian Strong and WLP351 Bavarian Weizen yeast. Rather than racking onto cakes, I will do two fairly large, equal size, starters and pitch them together. Then I will ferment at a temperature that they're both happy with. Maybe I'll put a little more rye in it too.

Seems to me since the WLP545 is more alcohol tolerant it's going to take over the weizen. You might want to try something like an abbey strain instead...

Just my .02.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

Seems to me since the WLP545 is more alcohol tolerant it's going to take over the weizen. You might want to try something like an abbey strain instead...

Just my .02.

Click to expand...

I had considered that. We're looking at a beer that will probably have an O.G. of about .08-.09, so I figure I need something that will be pretty alcohol tolerant.

That said, I would expect both yeasts to do fine at first, but for the weizen to get tired and drop out earlier, leaving the Belgian to finish things off. I would expect it to impart most of its flavors earlier in fermentation.

usually one yeast will dominate in a blend. you might have good luck using the hefe yeast first and then using the belgian which you know will take over and attenuate to a much lower gravity due to its alcohol tolerance. mixing yeasts is difficult when you try to determine which has become prevalant in the taste of the final product. i've mixed yeast cultures a bunch of times and have no real information except to say, yep it fermented. no real monumental breakthroughs or anything like that. keep on experimenting though and maybe you'll end up finding a nice 1-2 combination.