Mixing Yeast Strains For Attenuation

[rkbarnes82]

Anyone have experience mixing yeast strains? Specifically US-05 and Belle Saison?

I'm planning on doing a split 10 gal batch of DIPA (1.070 OG), one will be just fermented with US-05, the other will have US-05 and receive additional sugar in the primary to boost OG to 1.090.

In the higher gravity beer I was thinking of pitching US-05 initially and then throwing in some Belle Saison to help it finish real low. I would like zero to minimum Belgian yeast flavor.

The best attenuation I've achieved with US-05 is about 84% compared with 88-89% for Belle.

Anyone have experience with this?

 

[BigMack]

I don't have experience with it, but I think it is a bad idea to pitch a Saison yeast if you don't want any of the funk that will go along with it.

 

[rkbarnes82]

Aren't the vast majority of yeast derived flavors from the initial yeast growth phase? What if you added the Belle yeast half way through fermentation? How much saison character would be produced? Someone has had to have tried this.

 

[m00ps]

I've done a mixed strain fermentation or two:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=542346

Ive also started using a bit of WY3711, YB Wallonian Farmhouse, or another high attenuating saison yeast in stuff like DIPAs and Belgian Tripels where I want to get it very dry. I add the bit of saison yeast at high krausen so the main yeast gets a head start and is reponsible for most of the flavor profile
I talked about this technique on my DIPA here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=552449

 

[rkbarnes82]

Thanks Moops.

Did you pick up any saison character in those DIPAs or no?

 

[m00ps]

Its hard to tell under all the hops. But Im pretty familiar with 3711s esters. I think it came across in the finish because ive never had an IPA that had such a crisp finish like a saison. I added my small saison starter like 36hrs into fermentation. If you waited like 4-5 days, I doubt youd get any flavors from it