The multi-yeast experiment of 2k19

[JonesSoda6]

One of the many reasons I try and stick with the LHBS is the perks you can get by being there at the right time. My local one this past week had a box of expired white labs yeast tubes and packs tucked in the back of their yeast fridge biding it’s time. Some of them were from 2015, so a slow, multi-step starter would be in order; but most had ‘expired’ their use by date by only a few months. Some were last month.

See, I love these boxes of treasure and mystery. I have found some rare, vault strains of yonderyear and brewed some totally unique brews. I also freeze and bank yeasts. Few things are more pleasing then creating a recipe and digging through the chest freezer to see what spin our single celled friends can assist with. My yearly ‘Franken-Brew, consists of whatever is left over, half used packs of hops I have in the freezer, speciality grains on hand (looking at you Midnight Wheat) and yeast I grab with my eyes closed. Brew club specials I like to say as we try to categorize it, usually landing on Speciality Brew but sometimes a style invented on the spot.

Back to this weekend. Digging through this box I am finding a few sour strains I have had my eye on for a while and some run-of-the-mill varieties we all know and love. Seeing my small pile of hops on the counter already and knowing I’ll often shoot the breeze when my wife is not waiting, our LHBC owner yells over for me to take whatever I want... and as many as I want from the ‘expired’ box.
Usually happy with paying half price or buying a bag of DME I was floored.
‘As many as I want?!’
‘Yup’

And then it was on.
16 varieties selected, all ones I’ve never worked with as I have a house sour I love (Wyeast De Bom) and been reusing for a few years now. Driving back to the house I was excitedly telling my wife about the score as she her interest was piqued due to her blossoming love of all things sour.

I have 13 1-gallon jugs from my winter stovetop brewing days fron when we lived in Michigan. Frozen water spigots are no joke. Large batches while wearing Carharts hold a special place in my heart that I’ll leave up there as I live in the a south now.

So over the next few weeks I plan on slowly building these up and resurrecting the unloved outcasts from the cardboard box. This island of misfit yeast and bugs will find new love as I do a 13x1 gallon brew to see how each brings something different to the table and maybe even step in to the world of blending when it’s all said and done.

What I need though is help with a recipe. Fairly low IBUs due to possible lacto in the cultures. 1.040-ish to keep the true nature of the beauties up front.

Roster of yeasts selected - All White Labs WLP:
051 - Cali Ale Yeast V
351 - Bavarian Weizen
380 - Hefe IV
630 - Berliner Weisse Blend
648 - Brett Brux Trois
655 - Belgian Sour Mix 1
645 - Brett Claussenii
650 - Brett Brux
566 - Begian Saison II
568 - Belgian Style Saison
665 - Flemish Ale Blend
670 - American Farmhouse Blend
611 - Nordic Yeast

Thoughts?

 

[RPh_Guy]

That's pretty cool. I'm too lazy to look up all those numbers though.

 

[JonesSoda6]

That's pretty cool. I'm too lazy to look up all those numbers though.

Fixed with names

 

[Comfort_Zone]

I do this all the time. Had some pretty good luck so far.

 

[kh54s10]

Seems to me that you might need a couple of recipes. One for the wheat yeasts and another for the ale/sours.

Though I suppose you could use all the yeasts in the same recipe....

 

[JonesSoda6]

Seems to me that you might need a couple of recipes. One for the wheat yeasts and another for the ale/sours.

Though I suppose you could use all the yeasts in the same recipe....

I'm down for any ideas or base recipe(s)

Something to showcase the varieties really.

 

[kh54s10]

Something simple. 2 row and wheat malt for the wheat yeasts. 2 row and something like c-40 to give a little bit more character for the others use a recipe generator to get the proportions for your desired OG. Then I would select a mild hop and keep them the same for each wort, so that you get the yeast's influence and not different hop characters.

 

[couchsending]

I’d do Pils and a decent amount of wheat malt for all those beers. They’re almost all either Belgian or German in origin. You wouldn’t find much crystal in any traditional recipe with a lot of those yeasts.

If it’s just gonna be 1.040 and you want some complexity do a decoction. You’ll get a little color pickup and a little more depth of flavor.

Stryrian Goldings or Saaz or a low alpha NZ variety.

Maybe dry hop the Cali Ale V?

I personally hate primary fermented 100% Brett beers but love beers with Brett in secondary. Brett doesn’t produce any glycerol so 100% Brett beers are incredibly thin in my opinion. I’d save the Brett and add it after primary but that’s me. It takes quite a bit longer to grow up a sufficient amount of Brett as opposed to Sacch although the Brett might be more viable in those expires vials.

Also those blends after growing them up could be way out of proportion depending on what’s most viable yeast in there.

 

[brownni5]

I got a tube of WLP 545 out of the expired bin for free. Man I love that yeast! Could just be that it was free though...

 

[JonesSoda6]

I got a tube of WLP 545 out of the expired bin for free. Man I love that yeast! Could just be that it was free though...

Which one is 545?

 

[brownni5]

Which one is 545?

Belgian Strong Ale. After loads of (internet) research, I still can't figure out which brewery it's from. I thought it was the Duvel strain when I grabbed it. It isn't.

 

[JonesSoda6]

Belgian Strong Ale. After loads of (internet) research, I still can't figure out which brewery it's from. I thought it was the Duvel strain when I grabbed it. It isn't.

Excellent and I’ll dig in to it. Any concerns you know of with using wheat beer strains in a non- wheat beer? Really looking to do a nice write up on each of these.

 

[brewswithshoes]

Been a few months, anything to report on @JonesSoda6 ?

Would like to hear how some of these turned out/tasted.

 

[JonesSoda6]

Been a few months, anything to report on @JonesSoda6 ?

Would like to hear how some of these turned out/tasted.

Hey there,
Wanted to reply once I got back on HBT.
Moved in the summer of last year to a new state for work and things got sidelined.
Interestingly enough, before I moved I did a 1/2 Pils 1/2 White wheat basic brew to try out with all of this and broke it up over 6x 1 gallon jugs as I am a fan of the 1gal brew during those Michigan winters. Focused on the sours after everything got a Cali Ale V start to things.

Results were very good. All of the vials came back to life after some 2-step starters
Very distinct in their own rights and the sour descriptions matched those of the white labs pages.

Harvested from everything and now have supplemented the yeast bank in the chest freezer for some 30 different varieties on hand.

Favorite has to be the Cali Ale V and the American Farmhouse Blend. Very quaffable and have this mix as a house sour blend to compliment my house Flanders Red blend I roll with.

Sorry for the long delay, busy past year but this has paired out well and part of what I love about brewing.
Part Science, part Art.

Mike