Mixing Lager Yeasts - Pros and Cons

Currently trying this with a Flanders Red/Lambic-type beer - half with Roselare, and half with a concoction of dregs. Otherwise the fresh strains in the Roselare take up too many sugars/nutrients and give off too much acidity to revive the several strains from the dregs.

Also gives me some room to blend, hopefully creating a Flanders and a lambic from the same wort. We’ll see.

Update - the beer tastes pretty good. It fermented out all the way, and has a pretty good flavor.

Denny & Ron - I will say that I think you were right all along…I think I would have been better off blending as it isnt’s quite what I was going for. A blend of the two beers fermented with different yeasts IS the way to go. Doing it this way, I am tied to whatever the final outcome of the fermentation is. Through blending at different amounts I think I might find that balance I am looking for.

Though the beer isn’t bad - I have serious doubts it is the best it can be. Good call guys, thanks for the advice as I will be taking it my next batch :slight_smile:

looks like the boston beer company tried mixing ale and lager fermentation as well.  We’ll see how successfule they were later this year.  https://www.drinks-insight-network.com/news/samuel-adams-launches-sam-76-us/

The only time I have used two strains is when one strain did not take off or finish completely. I wouldn’t try this but if I wanted the best of both worlds I would probably blend the beers.

What I have been thinking of doing lately is doing a 5 gallon batch along side a 1 gallon batch, I have 4 1 gallon fermenters, this could be a fun sour project with blends.

The only time that I’ve ever mixed lager yeasts is when I’ve started my brew day and realized that I don’t have enough of one strain to pitch.