# Yeast nutrient benefit



## Happyrock (15/2/13)

Hey everyone, 

I am about to start brewing extract and specialty grain beers and I am just wondering if they will benefit from some yeast nutrient? Does the yeast nutrient just help the yeast to get established faster? Any other reasons to add it? At what stage in the process do you add it and how much for a 23 litre brew? 

Cheers


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## JDW81 (15/2/13)

Every beer (even kits, if doing a small hop boil/spec grain addition) benefits from yeast nutrient.

I generally use about 1/4 of a tsp for a 20-25L brew (check the container, it should have dosage rates). I chuck it in about 15 minutes before my boil finishes.

If you're going with extract I presume you're going to be doing a boil of some volume, so chuck it in towards the end (again, check the manufacturers recommendations) and you'll be sweet.

As far as what the nutrient does, it gives the yeast a bunch of essentials they need to kick off a really healthy ferment. I guess it is kind of like yeast multivitamin.


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## Happyrock (15/2/13)

Thanks. That helps a lot. Ill add a 1/4 teaspoon at the end of my boil.


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## JDW81 (15/2/13)

Happyrock said:


> Thanks. That helps a lot. Ill add a 1/4 teaspoon at the end of my boil.


Are you using the Wyeast nutrient?

I just checked my tube and it is a 1/2 tsp for a 5 gallon batch (about 19L). 1/4 was off the top of my head. I use the recommended dose.

JD


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## Bribie G (15/2/13)

Be careful, there's nutrient and nutrient. Your local home brew shop might sell you Di-ammonium Phosphate, that looks like sugar. This is basically superphosphate for yeast and is more used by wine makers and mead makers AFAIK.
The better one for beer is the light brown powdery one that contains a mix of minerals etc.


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## Happyrock (15/2/13)

Thanks Bribie its nutrient that I got from Brewers Choice at Enogerra quite a while ago. It sounds like what you're describing. I realised its probably 3 or 4 years old though. I was just checking out some new stuff on the craftbrewer website. Might just ditch the old stuff and get some fresh from craftbrewer. Cant see my LHBS having any.


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## Nick JD (15/2/13)

If you've ever fed a sad looking, yellowish potted plant with some plant food containing NPK and other lesser goodies and watched it come back to life, this is what yeast nutrient does to your fungal friends.

If you are a bit cheap, that baker's yeast you have in your fridge for making pizzas is better than nothing. Make damn sure you boil it though.


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## Black Devil Dog (15/2/13)

Can you boil up unused kit yeast and use that as nutrient?


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## slash22000 (15/2/13)

Black Devil Dog said:


> Can you boil up unused kit yeast and use that as nutrient?


Yep. It won't be as effective as proper yeast nutrient but better than nothing. Just make sure you boil it for 10 - 15 minutes so it's dead.


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## Tex083 (15/2/13)

From reading Palmer's How To Brew it is not the phosphate or minerals, though Zinc is important for cell wall production. Its the "free amino-nitrogen (FAN)" that is most important for getting yopur yeast started and to keep it going. K&K has less FAN as there is no grain or husk in the boil/ferment.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-9-1.html


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