Mixing Yeasts

[spearmint-wino]

I'm looking to do a decent-strength IPA at the weekend to be ready in time for crimbo, but the trouble is I only have 1 pack of Nottingham and 1 pack of Windsor in the fridge and no chance of mail order goods reaching me in time.
It'll be up in the 1.060's so I'll have to pitch a mixture of the 2 packs - would it work? Or would they compete with each other and cancel each other out?

 

[steve_flack]

They would compete but not in a bad way. You would probably get a blend of the properties with a bit of flavour from both yeasts. You would also get the p*ss poor flocculation of Windsor but probably with the Nottingham drying out the beer a bit more than Windsor would.

 

[BrewStew]

why not pick a yeast and do a mini ferment to get them to multiply enough for the bigger version beforehand?

 

[steve_flack]

The only problem with that is that you a very big starter (several litres at least) to actually grow much more yeast than is in the packet already.

TBH, I'd be inclined to just pitch one pack but rehydrate it properly at the right temperature in order to maximise the number of viable cells you have.

 

[spearmint-wino]

Would just the one pack be ok in a beer of that gravity?
Maybe I'll try and persuade a HBS to do me a 'priority' shipping...

 

[Wez]

SW i'm out of dried yeast myself or i'd post you some, i need to go to my LHBS on Saturday, there maybe someone here who wouldn't mind sticking a pack in the post for you :thumb:

 

[MEB]

I've mixed yeasts before. S04 and muntons gold. I added both to a 1060 30L batch. It worked but i couldn't tell you if one was over powering the other. It fermented my beer well and that was the reason i bunged them both in. I wasn't sure one pack would suffice.

 

[spearmint-wino]

I might postpone brewday until next weekend and drop the intended gravity a little so it can be ready for crimbo, at least that way I can do a bulk order for all the pre-christmas brewing I've got planned :