pitching wild dregs w/us05 vs pitching a starter from dregs only

[brentx3]

i have been doing a bunch of research on this recently, as this past weekend i collected the dregs of 3 crooked stave bottles and am planning on using them in my next 3 gallon batch - my only question is which method i should go about using them. it seems like i could do either of these options - which would be the better route? would a starter from these dregs produce a "wilder" beer or would a starter not really change much? i seem to read quite a few mixed things regarding starters made from wild yeasts..

 

[smokinghole]

Depends on what you want. Either way if you go secondary only with the bottle yeast use something more interesting than us05. Either method is fine, but you would certainly end up more "wild" with bottle yeast propped up to a pitchable quantity.

 

[ryanhope]

If your "wild bugs" include brett and you want that typical brett funk you need to add the bugs with the main sacch yeast or after it. The reason being is that the brett funk is created when brett is exposed to phenols which there wont be any of if you add it first. I would say ferment your beer first with your us-05 then pitch the dregs in a week or so. But again, it all depends on what you are trying to achieve and which bugs you have.

 

[sweetcell]

depending what bugs are in the dregs, making a starter would upset the balance.

i'd use the 05, or better yet something more flavorful (like a belgian yeast). you can pitch them all at the same time, the sacc will be done long before the bugs have time to get going.