Is There A Need To Use Yeast Nutrient With Ag

[Pumpy]

I have never used commercial yeast nutrients .

I have used the odd sachet of old Coopers dried yeast in the boil along with a couple of powdered Zinc tablets .

I am brewing beers around 5.7 % more these days to get my fix .

So far the brews attenuation has been fine sometimes taking ten days .

What is your opinion on yeast nutrient and what type do you use ?


Pumpy

 

[johnno]

I have never used any.

At the speech Dave Logsdon of Wyeast gave he stressed the importance of using it in your starters.

Can t remember he reason now but I'm sure it is a good one.

cheers
johnno

 

[tangent]

i add a few things to the fermenter and a few to the kettle but don't actually add any commercial nutrient premixes
i'm still wallet-shy after my last yeast buy up.

edit- fkd up

 

[Pumpy]

Is that activating a dried yeast in water or a dried yeast in wort starter Johnno

Pumpy

 

[Trent]

I add nutrient to my starters, and use the POL method of adding it to my brews. She advocated actually boiling the 1/4 teaspoon per 23L in a small amount of water separate from the brew, and just chucking that into the wort, so it doesnt get lost in the trub of your kettle. Dunno if it would get lost in trub, but it sounds sensible enough to me. I have recently started using both pure O2 and yeast nutrient in every brew, and have noticed a massive difference, usually reaching terminal gravity in 3-4 days, though my IIPA last week took 5 days to go from 1080 to 1014. Cant tell for sure if it the nutrient, or the O2, either way, I am happy. Only my experience, but I highly recommend it. Doesnt cost that much, considering ya only use 1/4 teaspoon per batch.
All the best
Trent

 

[Pumpy]

I add nutrient to my starters, and use the POL method of adding it to my brews. She advocated actually boiling the 1/4 teaspoon per 23L in a small amount of water separate from the brew, and just chucking that into the wort, so it doesnt get lost in the trub of your kettle. Dunno if it would get lost in trub, but it sounds sensible enough to me. I have recently started using both pure O2 and yeast nutrient in every brew, and have noticed a massive difference, usually reaching terminal gravity in 3-4 days, though my IIPA last week took 5 days to go from 1080 to 1014. Cant tell for sure if it the nutrient, or the O2, either way, I am happy. Only my experience, but I highly recommend it. Doesnt cost that much, considering ya only use 1/4 teaspoon per batch.
All the best
Trent

Sounds like you doe everything you can to get full attenuation Trent , I suppose O2 is a sort of nutrient to yeast not much has been posted about it Trent , is it easy to get O2 ans administer to your wort ?


pumpy

 

[NRB]

Is that activating a dried yeast in water or a dried yeast in wort starter Johnno

Neither. It's when using a liquid yeast starter.

 

[MHB]

In a good healthy wort I don't think you dont need yeast nutrients. The only exception being that a little Zinc could be a benefit.

For starters for sure; if you want to get the best yeast growth, use them.

Oxygen can be thought of as a nutrient, during the reproductive phase of the yeast life cycle - tho it becomes a problem if there is too much in the wort

Too much Oxygen can be a problem to, it can cause the yeast to reproduce too rapidly and not consume some of the lipids and fatty acids in the wort.
In extreme doses it can cause O2 toxicity; it acts like peroxide and can kill the yeast.
Too little and you can get a sluggish brew.

For the wallet conscious we are talking around 45 cents per brew, I wouldn't use price as a deciding factor.
Wether you are using dry or liquid yeast is a separate question, wet isnt automatically the right answer, its all about the number if viable cells. Fresh liquid yeast should have enough but a month or 2 out?

I guess nutrients and aeration are like a lot of things in brewing; the right amount is good - too much is bad.

Mind you for what it costs to insure a healthy start why not try it see.

Got 'a love brewing a whole world of definite maybes!

MHB

 

[Trough Lolly]

Is that activating a dried yeast in water or a dried yeast in wort starter Johnno

Neither. It's when using a liquid yeast starter.

Correct - you don't need to add nutrients to dry yeast starters because dry yeasts typically have enough Trehalose and Glycogen added by the yeast supplier, to give the yeast a good "kick start" when you re-hydrate the yeast in cool pre-boiled water. By all means give it a shake or stir to oxygenate, but there's not much benefit in adding nutrients to the starter water. In the first 30 mins or so of rehydration, the cell walls are being reconstituted in the new wet medium and it may actually hinder that process if you add nutrients to the water.

You'll soon see a creamy pavlova like topping appear on your dry yeast starter within about 30 mins of pitching the sachet - it's ready to be pitched directly into the cooled wort and get to work on the fermentables in the wort.

Cheers,
TL

 

[Pumpy]

Is that activating a dried yeast in water or a dried yeast in wort starter Johnno

Neither. It's when using a liquid yeast starter.

Correct - you don't need to add nutrients to dry yeast starters because dry yeasts typically have enough Trehalose and Glycogen added by the yeast supplier, to give the yeast a good "kick start" when you re-hydrate the yeast in cool pre-boiled water. By all means give it a shake or stir to oxygenate, but there's not much benefit in adding nutrients to the starter water. In the first 30 mins or so of rehydration, the cell walls are being reconstituted in the new wet medium and it may actually hinder that process if you add nutrients to the water.

You'll soon see a creamy pavlova like topping appear on your dry yeast starter within about 30 mins of pitching the sachet - it's ready to be pitched directly into the cooled wort and get to work on the fermentables in the wort.

Cheers,
TL

Thanks Guys your a wealth of communial knowledge

Pumpy

 

[dreamboat]

I started using zinc and air about a year ago after so very weak ferments (1016-1018 was fairly normal), and have been very happy with the results. Almost always under 1010 now, and better flavours as a result of that.
Zinc as a nutrient is pretty easy and cheap, and an air system is also not too challenging.


Rob

 

[devo]

I've always used it for yeast starters.

 

[Trent]

Pumpy
I got my O2 cylinder from BOC after a friend supplied me with a reg. I use a 0.5 micron airstone. It was pretty easy to get the O2, I just told them what I needed it for, they were pretty friendly after they realised I wasnt gonna be using it for getting high! I say try a little nutrient for a while, and if that doesnt improve things, try heading to O2.
All the best
Trent

 

[peas_and_corn]

I use the wyeast nutrient, and, with all other variables in mind, the ferment does tend to take off quicker with the nutrient, which makes me happy