I want my next batch to be a 6 gallon wort split into two fermenters with a different yeast pitched in each. I figured one would be "normal" and one a Belgian strain.
What styles are best suited for this? I was thinking of doing a porter. Who has done this before? How did they compare? Are there any specific strains you would recommend? Is there anything I should avoid? Thanks!
Posted Apr 10, 2011, 5:11 PM UTC
Recently did a braggot where we fermented half of the batch on an ale yeast and the other half on a wine yeast. The differences were startling, and we were fermenting both at the same temperature.
I'd be really interested in splitting a batch with a dual temp yeast like Cry Havoc, or Kolsch and doing them a opposite ends of the temp spectrum.
A porter would work quite well, as would a brown ale, or a double IPA. Any way you do it, you'll get a real education on the yeast's contributions to flavor and aroma.
Good luck, have fun, post often about the results.
I'd love to hear more about what the braggot did.
The ale yeast was sweeter, and the spice character was more subdued and mellow but it also had more body and more carbonation in it. The Cuvee yeast was wild and spicy and slightly boozy and took its sweet-ass time fermenting, It had lots of spice and citrus notes. We've since blended them back together because we lost so much of the must/wort to sed and trub.
Read more here: http://hopville.com/recipe/560385/fruit-beer-recipes/badgerland-braggot
I've done this with many different styles. The best example we tried was from 35 gallons of wort we got at the AHA/Surly wort giveaway event a couple years ago. We used 7 different yeast strains, and still have 5 gallons that we added cherries to and then funked with brett. Damn good beers! All the strains we used were Wyeast. It's been a couple years, I can't remember exactly which ones.
Hefe's are fun to play around with. The hefe yeasts also do different things at different temperatures. A warmer ferment for example will bring out more banana. I've also used belgian yeast on a hefe recipe, turned out nice. Local brewery brought some westmalle yeast slurry from their grand cru batch to a brewout at the local homebrew shop.
Wyeast's website has profiles for all their yeast, interesting reading.
I have 2 12 oz wheat beers experiments going. One is a dry wheat yeast. The other is sourdough starter.
Stone's Vertical Epic from 2003 does two yeast for the same wort - and the recipe is online :D
I've done this with a basic American Pale Ale wort with 5 yeasts (5 gallon batch split into 1 gallon bottles for fermentation) and was amazed at the variety produced by those little yeasties. I did a Belgian yeast, a Hefeweizen yeast, a California ale yeast, an English ale yeast, and a San Francisco Lager yeast (fermented at the same normal temp as the rest to make a Steam beer) all from White Labs. I learned so much about making beer from that little experiment! Have fun!
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I would do an American/Belgian pale. Or a blonde. Or... anything, really. I would want something not so complex that you're going to bury the yeast character or muddle it with something that doesn't fit, but something good enough to drink. I also think it might be fun to make a dubbel and ferment that with an American strain of yeast. The possibilities are really endless.
My biggest concern is the muddling; I want to be sure the yeasts are both disparate and good fits for the wort. So: good point about the pale.