Mixing Yeast

[Effect]

Hi there,

Since none of you mix your yeast when pitching I can only assume that doing so would be a bad idea - have only found threads with 2 different types of yeasts pitched when there is a stuck ferment and saf04 (or whatever the yeast is) was used to kick start it.

What are the reasons by not pitching 2 different types of yeasts?

Sort of like doing a step mash, bring the ferment up to different temps to allow different yeasts do to do their thing?

Thanks

Phil

 

[stowaway]

Hi there,

Since none of you mix your yeast when pitching I can only assume that doing so would be a bad idea - have only found threads with 2 different types of yeasts pitched when there is a stuck ferment and saf04 (or whatever the yeast is) was used to kick start it.

What are the reasons by not pitching 2 different types of yeasts?

Sort of like doing a step mash, bring the ferment up to different temps to allow different yeasts do to do their thing?

Thanks

Phil

I have mixed 2 differnet yeasts many times.

When i was doing kits, I would often buy my yeast and not use kit yeast..

so i would get a supply of yeasts up i often chucked 2 differnet kit yeasts in..
It might be a morgans kit and a coopers yeast or whatever.
I dont know if they all use the same yeasts or what not tho..

 

[~MikE]

I've been tossing this idea up myself, but more so to get an increased level of complexity.

 

[kabooby]

You can get a whole heap of different results by blending yeast types. You can add them at the same time with equal quantities or add them at different times of the ferment at different amounts.

White labs even have some blended yeasts that they release from time to time

Kabooby :icon_cheers:

 

[apd]

Hi there,

Since none of you mix your yeast when pitching I can only assume that doing so would be a bad idea - have only found threads with 2 different types of yeasts pitched when there is a stuck ferment and saf04 (or whatever the yeast is) was used to kick start it.

What are the reasons by not pitching 2 different types of yeasts?

Sort of like doing a step mash, bring the ferment up to different temps to allow different yeasts do to do their thing?

Thanks

Phil

Who said no one mixes their yeast?

Big beers often have a champagne yeast added near the end of fermentation to finish things off because the initial yeast is too buggered.

And I'm sure I've read (or maybe heard in their podcast) the blokes from oz.craftbrewer.org talk about using multiple yeasts to create different flavour profiles.

I think the only thing stopping most people doing it is that it's tricky to get right. We can control the amount of hops and malt we put in but yeast is a living thing and tends to do it's own thing. Putting two yeasts in the same brew means they will be competing with each other. One might completely dominate the other or they might place nice together - it would be hard to control. Maybe you could let one yeast have it's turn by itself, measuring the SG until a certain point, then stop fermentation by crashing cooling, rack the beer, raise temp and add seecond yeast.

Andrew

 

[Simon W]

I read something somewhere years ago that Coopers used a yeast blend for the Original Pale Ale.
The sachet of yeast I got with an OPA kit even had two distinctly different size/shape pellets in it, some looked like micro-chicken pellets and the others were like tiny balls.... two yeasts?

 

[PostModern]

And don't forget the complexity added by differing K-factors.

 

[tdh]

Reliable results can be achieved by splitting a batch, pitching 2 strains then blending back together.

tdh

 

[Effect]

or how about 2 separate ferments?

like blending wines? blending beers?

edit: OMG one minute late

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

I often blend two yeasts at the start of the ferment, makes a great beer, only problem appears to be that one yeast will dominate in future re-pitchings so you tend to lose that winning profile you had in your first ferment.Still I highly recommend some thing that gives your beer that edge.
GB

 

[stowaway]

Reliable results can be achieved by splitting a batch, pitching 2 strains then blending back together.

tdh

ive done this by accident just a few days ago...

I stupidly rapid gased. Then put the Gas disconnect on the Beer Outlet. about a litre went up and into my other kegs.. no shit. about a litre!
They all taste fine tho

Ive now put no-return valves on all my lines.

 

[bindi]

Reliable results can be achieved by splitting a batch, pitching 2 strains then blending back together.

tdh

I often blend two yeasts at the start of the ferment, makes a great beer, only problem appears to be that one yeast will dominate in future re-pitchings so you tend to lose that winning profile you had in your first ferment.Still I highly recommend some thing that gives your beer that edge.
GB

Only just found this topic, have done what tdh says for some interesting results, most good.

Mixed some yeasts and pitched into a [let's call it a] Wit for something to do that's a little out there this time all at once.
I am betting the 3787 wins out, but the others are strong also.

This is it:

2.50 kg Pale Malt
2.50 kg Wheat Malt, Pale
0.25 kg Oats, Flaked
0.12 kg Cara-Pils
22.00 gm Tradition [5.70 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 14.0 IBU
25.00 gm Saaz [4.00 %] (20 min) Hops 6.1 IBU
Good guess of Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
Good guess Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc

American Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP320) Yeast-Wheat
Trappist High Gravity (Wyeast Labs #3787) Yeast-Wheat
Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068)