Mixing Yeast

[user 23602]

How does it usually fare?
Is it a Yeast 101 ''No No''?
Does it cause problems?
Is there a reason not to do it?

I understand that some of the responses will be personal views, but I want to ascertain why you shouldn't or why others think you shouldn't.

 

[user 18729]

How does it usually fare?
Is it a Yeast 101 ''No No''?
Does it cause problems?
Is there a reason not to do it?

I understand that some of the responses will be personal views, but I want to ascertain why you shouldn't or why others think you shouldn't.

Some of the best breweries in the world use dual strains/multiple strains. If you can maintain a pure culture without too much genetic drift, or one species of yeast becoming more dominant then it’s a really good thing to do. You can pick the flavour of one yeast, and balance it with the attenuation/flocculation of another.

For us home brewers it’s difficult to maintain, and if pitching two yeasts bought in the home brew shop it gets very expensive

 

[DavidDetroit]

Opinion:
I think it would be an exciting (beer-wise) thing to do. I was toying with the idea of doing a dry and a liquid of the same style. I have no worries that the two yeasts would start a war between themselves and only thought they would cooperate and work together peacefully.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi Grizzly

Plenty have done it before ... and many of them have fed back to the yeast labs who have generated yeast blends to make it easier to do it without having to but multiple packs ... e.g. WLP060 American Ale Yeast Blend (link), WLP075 Hansen Ale Yeast Blend (link), WLP085 English Ale Yeast Blend (link), WLP200 Best of Both Worlds Yeast Blend , WLP575 Belgian Style Ale Yeast Blend (link) ... and that's just some of the ones from White Labs, only ... and looking only at the Saccharomyces cerevisiae blends, the opportunities for blending and blends gets even BIGGER when you start including Brett and Bugs

As Mozza says, the issue is the blend drifting and one or t'other strain dominating, but with these -pre-blended packs the yeast companies are at least giving you the option of getting back on an even footing, every so often.

Cheers, PhilB

 

[user 23602]

Thanks for the constructive responses so far. The reason I ask is because I chucked in 2 yeasts thinking ''what harm can it do.'' They were 2 completely different, one was a British Ale Yeast and other M41 from Mangrove Jacks. So worst case is that one completely dominates?

 

[GerritT]

Thanks for the constructive responses so far. The reason I ask is because I chucked in 2 yeasts thinking ''what harm can it do.'' They were 2 completely different, one was a British Ale Yeast and other M41 from Mangrove Jacks. So worst case is that one completely dominates?

Yes

But check here: https://brewdogrecipes.com/?q=unleash
Four recipes, where only the yeast differs. What would happen in your brew, when 2 are present at the same time?

 

[Graz]

I've only done it the once, on a Coopers Stout + treacle brew. Thought the supplied sachet might struggle with the kit + a can of dark LME + a can of treacle brewed to 20L so I used a sachet of Safale S-04 but then thought to myself that I have no other use for this Coopers yeast so lobbed that in as well. Fermented well enough but then failed to carb up properly in the bottles. Maybe the final ABV was all a bit much for it Still drank it all though.