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Mixed Cultures

384 bytes added, 13:49, 11 April 2018
clarification on starters
===Starters and Other Manufacturer Tips===
In the past, some yeast manufacturers (namely Wyeast) did not recommend making a starter for mixed cultures. Reasons varied from "throwing off the ratio of microbes" to "creating acetic acid". In regards to the first concern, throwing off the ratio of microbes will likely not be a real concern. It is possible that this will change the profile of the fermentation (for example the beer might turn out more sour because the lactic acid bacteria were allowed to grow more cells in the starter), but if treated properly all of the microbes will have a higher cell count after a starter is made, and the yeast (both ''Brettanomyces'' and ''Saccharomyces'') will be more viable after a starter. Pitching a second culture of fresh ale yeast isn't necessary with mixed cultures that have their own ''S. cerevisiae'', and making a starter ensures the cell count is high enough. However, some mixed cultures might not come with ''Saccharomyces'' out of the package, or in the case of a [[Mixed_Fermentation#Reusing_a_Sour_Yeast_Cake|re-using a sour yeast cake]] the ''Saccharomyces'' might be dead. In such cases the brewr may choose to pitch fresh ''Saccharomyces'' separately (see [[Mixed_Fermentation#Reusing_a_Sour_Yeast_Cake|re-using a sour yeast cake]]). Oxygen does not inhibit lactic acid bacteria in general, so this is generally not a concern.
In regards to the second concern above, oxygen does encourage acetic acid production in ''Brettanomyces'' (and some species of ''Lactobacillus'' such as ''L. plantarum''). However, a starter can be decanted to remove the starter beer if it smells highly acetic. Some brewers have reported not decanting the starter at all, and the small amount of acetic acid present doesn't make a large impact on the final beer.

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