Odd yeast colour

[Agentgonzo]

I just pitched some MJ M31 (Belgian Trippel) this morning. Out of the packet it looked like this - very odd (the two tone beige/brown).

Has anyone seen anything like this before? I assume that M31 is a blend of two different types of yeast and this is just its colour. It hydrated fine and went into the beer (along with a second pack of M47 that looked normal). It wasn't fridged during the recent heatwaves, so probably got up to the high twenties in a dark cupboard.

I figure that the worst that could happen is that it's not very active/alive, so the other yeast will take over.

 

[The Baron]

Is it possible it has nutrient in it?

 

[Agentgonzo]

Is it possible it has nutrient in it?

possible I suppose. I've not heard of dried yeasts coming with nutrient, but I don't suppose there is a reason not to.

 

[The Baron]

If it was nutrient they would surely have to declare it on second thoughts

 

[Jim Brewster]

I wonder if it's two strains, one with higher alcohol tolerance, just pure speculation.

I believe dry yeast does have stuff added to ensure the yeast have the right stuff to get started so that there's no real need to rehydrate, make a starter or oxygenate the wort, but its usually homogeneous grains.

 

[Agentgonzo]

That's probably more likely than half of it randomly changing colour due to the heat. I'm not concerned about it though - just curious. I've never seen any yeast any colour other than beige

 

[Jim Brewster]

I think I remember the M29 French Saison yeast being quite dark, smells bad in dry form too, like cheese

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I just pitched some MJ M31 (Belgian Trippel) this morning. Out of the packet it looked like this - very odd (the two tone beige/brown).


Has anyone seen anything like this before? I assume that M31 is a blend of two different types of yeast and this is just its colour.

Yeah, it's a known thing, it's widely suspected that some of the MJ yeasts are blends.