Nutrient in mead

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Lyn Simpson

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Hi all, I wonder if anyone knows of a home made nutrient that i can put in mead and how much
 
A good nutrient will contain a source of Nitrogen, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, some key lipids, peptides....
You could put something together that would help but I doubt you could come up with anything as well balanced and complete as the better quality yeast foods.
Seriously you will make better mead and it will cost you less to buy some, avoid the little sachets of DAP, that's just a Nitrogen source get one of the complete yeast foods, I think all good home brew shops sell it, my local does a jar for about $22. But I'm sure whoever you normally shop with will have something available.
Mark
 
A good nutrient will contain a source of Nitrogen, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, some key lipids, peptides....
You could put something together that would help but I doubt you could come up with anything as well balanced and complete as the better quality yeast foods.
Seriously you will make better mead and it will cost you less to buy some, avoid the little sachets of DAP, that's just a Nitrogen source get one of the complete yeast foods, I think all good home brew shops sell it, my local does a jar for about $22. But I'm sure whoever you normally shop with will have something available.
Mark
Thanks Mark I might have to get some of that, all I saw at the home brew shop was DAP but I didn't really know what to look for. I've seen on line that some people make a sort of raisin or sultana tea I'd sort of like to try that but I've got no idea how much to put in. I've been making red wine for a long time now and I don't add anything to that except a good wine yeast
 
Honey for making mead is pretty much just sugars, you can ferment it without nutrients but it is a tortuously slow process. By adding yeast nutrient and food acids you can get really nice mead in a matter of weeks and truly excellent mead in months rather than years.
I started out making mead before making beer (used to keep bees) I've seen and tried lots of home made nutrients and they are in my experience pretty random, they help but its very hard to tell what they really contain.
My mead never really satisfied me until I made the change to using proper nutrient and adding acids, the book that turned the corner for me was called "Making Mead' by Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan.

They published a beginners nutrient For 1 Gal (Imp) or 4.5L
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon of Marmite
Pinch Epsom Salts
1 Teaspoon Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
Tablespoon strong tea.
To the nutrient above, or to the advanced one they also publish (but use the commercial nutrient instead). They added food acids, again for 4.5L
2g Tannic Acid
6.5gTatraric Acid
10.5g Malic Acid
3.5g Citric Acid

I'm sure there are lots of other Acid mixes and recipes but that's the basics as given that I found really helped.
Lots of other books on the subject to but this one got me heading in the right direction.
You will get way better results with a high quality yeast food. The acids will really help to.
Mark
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Honey for making mead is pretty much just sugars, you can ferment it without nutrients but it is a tortuously slow process. By adding yeast nutrient and food acids you can get really nice mead in a matter of weeks and truly excellent mead in months rather than years.
I started out making mead before making beer (used to keep bees) I've seen and tried lots of home made nutrients and they are in my experience pretty random, they help but its very hard to tell what they really contain.
My mead never really satisfied me until I made the change to using proper nutrient and adding acids, the book that turned the corner for me was called "Making Mead' by Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan.

They published a beginners nutrient For 1 Gal (Imp) or 4.5L
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon of Marmite
Pinch Epsom Salts
1 Teaspoon Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
Tablespoon strong tea.
To the nutrient above, or to the advanced one they also publish (but use the commercial nutrient instead). They added food acids, again for 4.5L
2g Tannic Acid
6.5gTatraric Acid
10.5g Malic Acid
3.5g Citric Acid

I'm sure there are lots of other Acid mixes and recipes but that's the basics as given that I found really helped.
Lots of other books on the subject to but this one got me heading in the right direction.
You will get way better results with a high quality yeast food. The acids will really help to.
Mark
View attachment 118569
Thanks Mark that is really helpful I will definitely buy that book
 

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