Mixing Yeast

[Nickster]

Is it possible to mix two different kinds of yeast when you pitch?

If so, would you mix both when you create your starter?

Was curious how this would work....

[bubrewer]

Sure it is possible, but what is your goal when doing so?

If you don't have enough of one kind of yeast ready on brew day, then I suppose you could boost your cell count by mixing what you have on hand.

You can blend yeasts to mute the effects of any one of them. Wyeast 3056 is like this - a blend of estery German wheat yeast and plain, clean American Ale. Gives you some of the German character without going overboard.

Sometimes a big beer will be started with one yeast, then finished with a more attenuative yeast, but that is done during fermentation, not in the starter.

[Nickster]

Mostly I just wanted to experiment with the yeast characteristics of my beers.

[Dr Scott]

Mostly I just wanted to experiment with the yeast characteristics of my beers.

A better way would be to split the batches and use different yeasts (on the same wort)
You could then see what each yeast does on your beer. You should get a handle on how each strain behaves in your brewery first and then you would know which strains to mix/experiment with.

[ionia_ales]

and then you can blend...


endless options.

[JP]

You can combine different yeasts, yes. I would do seperate starters for each yeast you want to add, as onc you use the blend, the more dominate strain should come through and take over, rendering your experiment not-as-useful. With each re-pitch, your flavors should change as the dominate yeast take ovr more and more ground.