I'm brewing a low grav pale ale tomorrow. What would happen if instead of pitching a normal yeast I just poured the left over yeast in from 4 bottles of Gnomegang? http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/65200 Would that work?
Right from the bottle? A slow, mediocre fermentation with some pretty heavy off flavors. If you took those bottle dregs and put them in a small, 200 mL starter, then stepped that starter to 2L after 48 hrs, chances are you'll have enough yeast. Why not buy a pack of 3522? its the Chouffe yeast.
I figured a starter would help but at this point it's too late. This should give me a blend of Chouffe yeast and Ommegang yeast. I'll probably save these bottles and brew a dubbel or something with the yeast.
You are asking for trouble of you under pitch that dramatically. Yeast that have been sitting in a bottle with a lot of high alcohol beer are stressed out and not ready for fermenting beer. If you grow a starter first than they will have a chance to replenish their glycogen stores and rebuild other vital proteins inside the yeast. This makes them ready for fermenting your next batch.
