Cellar Craft Using 2 different yeast strains?

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Rtrent2002

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Just bought 2 red kits (trio red and super Tuscan) and have a question about yeast. The kits obviously come with lalvin EC 1118 to ensure a complete flawless fermentation but I pitched red star Pasteur red hoping to achieve a more robust flavor profile with more depth.

Every time I use Pasteur red I can never get the SG down far enough and it seems to leave a slight off sweet taste on wines that I want to ferment completely dry.

Question.... Would it be ok to pitch the EC 1118 a few days in AFTER I've achieved the right flavor profile and then let the 1118 kick in to ensure a complete dry fermentation. (EC 1118 has a higher alcohol tolerance)?
 
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Hmmm good question. I don't see why not. I would definitely have the 1118 stared at the same time,then add it the mother batch, so the yeast is acclimated to the environment.
 
Thanks for the response. I read that certain yeasts can kill each other off so was concerned I might get a stuck fermentation.

But also read ec1118 is very tough! So worse case scenario it might take over the Pasteur red and finish off the fermentation? Which wouldn't be awful.
 
From my understanding it will not cause stuck fermentation. The EC 1118 will kill the other yeast and the 1118 will go to work. It's like you never put the other yeast in your wine.
 
I suspect the 1118 will dominate; they will multiply faster than the other yeast, eventually crowding the other out. I think it will all be about timing. Like I mentioned, getting stuck fermentations going can be difficult. The yeast are not happy being thrown into a high alcohol environment. I would have two parallel ferments and when you have achieved what you wanted on the Pasteur, then introduce the 1118 that is at a similar alcohol/brix to the main ferment.
 
Thanks all. So I pitched the Pasteur red today, will wait till SG drops to about 1.2 then pitch the EC 1118 through yeast starter to ensure a complete fermentation.
 
I have read about ec1118 being developed as a champagne yeast that is intended to be pitched in the bottle as a carbonation yeast. Ie; primary ferment is already done and some additional unfermented must or sugar is added along with the ec1118 into the high abv environment. Sorta like carbonating beer in the bottle.

So it seems like yes - you can use the other yeast for your primary ferment and yield the benefits of it's related flavor profiles etc. then in the case where high abv or some other environment attribute may kill off that particular strain, the ecc1118 can then be hydrated and perhaps started in a small portion of unfermented must so it grows the colony for a couple days then pitched into the larger batch to lick up where the other little soldiers could not cut the mustard.

Cheers!
-johann
 

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