# Old beer kit yeast as nutrient in cider?



## decr (5/11/16)

There has been talk of using old kit yeast as nutrient in beers, but how about ciders? Would it be unthinkable to boil old ale kit yeasts to serve as nutrient? Does this even work or am I completely off the rails here? Any ill effects in taste? Using EC1118 and I want to piggyback on the old cake as I am a lazy bastard.

Cheers


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## timmi9191 (5/11/16)

Same
No
Works
No

Piggy backing on the cake wont be an issue with or without nutrient.

My success with ciders has always been the third pitching onto the cake (but never ec1118.) ie first batch nice, second batch nicer, third batch winner...


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## altone (5/11/16)

Adding old yeast would be better than nothing at all but for the cost of a vial of nutrient and how little you need - why bother risking it?

I've used old yeast before when I had nothing else though.

Not being a big cider maker I've only used Nottingham yeast for it and a perry I made.

As timmi9191 says, piggybacking a couple of times - not a problem .


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## Danscraftbeer (5/11/16)

I've never tried the old yeast for nutrient. I use the nutrient product only and very rarely at all.
I will make a boiled wort for a starter with a tiny addition of the nutrient for the yeast activation.

But, the science is there. If I didn't have any nutrient product on hand I could just boil some old yeast into the starter wort as an alternative?


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## damoninja (5/11/16)

EC-1118 does not need any nutrients at the best or worst of times, it plays by different rules than its ale cousins.


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## altone (5/11/16)

Danscraftbeer said:


> I've never tried the old yeast for nutrient. I use the nutrient product only and very rarely at all.
> I will make a boiled wort for a starter with a tiny addition of the nutrient for the yeast activation.
> 
> But, the science is there. If I didn't have any nutrient product on hand I could just boil some old yeast into the starter wort as an alternative?


Better than nothing at all but may not contain all the vitamins minerals etc. that the yeast would like to propagate at it's best,
or at least not at the optimum quantites.

so a good addition if you don't have nutrient on hand.


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## Danscraftbeer (5/11/16)

I'll state that the fastest Cider brew I have made is lately. The same time as an Ale but with the nutrient addition that was 50% as recommended for cider. I haphazardly tried M27 yeast. I don't know if this would be much different than any common Ale yeast? like US-05 and other standards? Its was done fast like any Ale.
It was on tap,_able_ in 3 weeks like any Ale. Gets much better after weeks/months of lagering etc.


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## manticle (5/11/16)

Beer and cider have different nutrient requirements. Old yeast is a half arsed nutrient for beer at best. Won't really hurt, probably not a massive help.

Eye fillet steak on the other hand....


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## decr (5/11/16)

Hmm ok. My third piggyback batch tasted like cleaning alcohol so I thought it could be a nutrient problem. Or maybe it's just not suitable for reuse like generic kit ale yeasts which I get five runs out easily? Anyways, going to put down a batch tomorrow with a fresh pack, just thinking of ways to make it go further without tasting like barely drinkable. Supermarket juice and ec1118, fermentation at 15-16c (fermenter, ambient varies from 13-17ish).


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## Danscraftbeer (5/11/16)

Assuming you have the salts and minerals.

A good Steak is salted etc. So as all food consumption.

I'm now getting a fettish for pink salt. Himalayan Salt. Go figure.... -_-


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## altone (6/11/16)

@manticle - If there's some decent eye fillet to be had, it's not going to make it to the brew room

Best way to use eye fillet as a nutrient - sear to your liking on a very hot griddle/BBQ - eat the steak then drive to your LHBS to get something to feed the yeast.



Danscraftbeer said:


> Assuming you have the salts and minerals.
> 
> A good Steak is salted etc. So as all food consumption.
> 
> I'm now getting a fettish for pink salt. Himalayan Salt. Go figure.... -_-


And what's wrong with the good old Australian Murray River pink salt?

So that this post is not completely off topic,
I seem to remember the main shortcoming of using dried yeast in the boil compared to the nutrient was
not enough zinc and nitrogen although I suggest a Google may be in order to check that.


The main reason for using DAP I believe is to provide a Nitrogen source

edit: Carnt spel


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