Split Open and Melt yeast options

My Split Open and Melt Imperial Stout extract kit will arrive this week. At 1.100 this is by far the biggest beer I have brewed, with Plinian and High Rise the distant closest. The recipe only calls for 1 packet of US-05, which in my opinion won’t do, so I am kicking around yeast options and have to choose between the following:

2 packets US-05

1 packet US-05 and 1 packet S-04

Some mixture of US-05, S-04 and Nottingham

2 packets of US-05 seems the safest option to me as I have never mixed dry yeasts. I like the clean fermentation of US-05 but also enjoy the residual sweetness from S-04’s lower attenuation. I’m also very interested in mixing US-05, S-04 and Notty, but that is probably my third choice. I plan on fermenting at 65-67. I’d appreciate thoughts/opinions from those that have experience and/or knowledge of mixing dry yeast.

:cheers:

Mixing yeasts is a crapshoot. You have no idea which will dominate or what kind of results you’ll get. I’d go for 2 packs of 05 unless you feel like experimenting.

Denny,

I agree it is a crapshoot, but what are the potential downfalls? I would be fine with either yeast dominating, since they are both good choices for this beer. I defer to the experts, but it seems to me the best case scenario would be a blend of the two yeast characteristics, and worst case would yield results from either US-05 or S-04. We’ll see how “experimental” I feel when I brew, but for a very big beer that isn’t too much money I may roll the dice. Thanks for the response Denny.

:cheers:

[quote=“jonlong2258”]Denny,

I agree it is a crapshoot, but what are the potential downfalls? I would be fine with either yeast dominating, since they are both good choices for this beer. I defer to the experts, but it seems to me the best case scenario would be a blend of the two yeast characteristics, and worst case would yield results from either US-05 or S-04. We’ll see how “experimental” I feel when I brew, but for a very big beer that isn’t too much money I may roll the dice. Thanks for the response Denny.

:cheers: [/quote]

As long as you’re willing to accept the results, there really isn’t any harm in trying.

For an RIS, my vote is for 2 packets of S-04. 05 is too clean for that beer. If you want to blend, there is a zymurgy or byo article from 1-2 years ago on blending yeasts.

At that gravity, make sure to rehydrate the yeast. You need all the cells in those 2 packs.