multiple yeast strains 1 brew?

[cobolstinks]

I'm brewing a barley wine tomorrow. I want to use WLP13 (london ale), but my starter isn't taking off as well as I had hoped. I split the one vial into 2 1/2 gallon 1.060 starters 2 days ago, and I have a few bubbles going but the yeast isnt going gang busters.......


So getting to my question, should I add a safae 05 packet in addition to the WLP-13 when I pitch tomorrow? Do yeast strains play nice together?

 

[JuanMoore]

Do yeast strains play nice together?

Some do some don't. As long as they have similar temperature ranges they shouldn't do anything bad. Sometimes one yeast will dominate the flavor profile, and it will taste like you only used the one yeast. Do you have any S-04? It's much closer to WLP013 than S-05.

 

[cobolstinks]

no I don't have any S04, all i have on hand is s05, wlp-13, and two pints of wyeast 1056 which has already fermented 2 batches....

 

[samc]

Take a hydro reading on the starter, you may be surprised on what has happened. Starters don't always look like they are doing all that much.

 

[JuanMoore]

Take a hydro reading on the starter, you may be surprised on what has happened. Starters don't always look like they are doing all that much.

Good point.

 

[cobolstinks]

you were right, the starters were at 1.020, so i just must have missed the fermentation, worrying over nothing.....

 

[ksbrain]

I actually used three yeasts in my latest barley wine: US-05, S-04 and WY1338. It's still fermenting so the jury's out on the flavor, but I'm happy it's still fermenting. That should mean it's getting the gravity down where I want it.

It's interesting because it's not top cropping as badly as the pure WY1338, and it's not as flocculent as pure S-04. I just hope the S-04 doesn't dominate the flavor

 

[maida7]

yeah 2 days is a long time for a starter. Mine are usually done in 24 hrs.