Yeast nutrients question

I've got everything ready to start my mead. However the lady at my local home brew shop sold me a little bag of bulk yeasts nutrient with a simple "yeast nutrient" sticker... At first i asked her for Fermaid-K and i'm really not sure if she even knew what was i talking about.... It's a small village's lhbs... Maybe they are using different brand names for Canada?...

now my question is, how much should i use and at what stages, as a "fool-proof" method that would work with most kinds, or with the kind that they are most likely to be selling in bulk at that place.

i've whent thru the FAQ and pdf's, and found out that each kind of nutrient has a different weight... hence the confusion...

any help would be welcomed

I'm in the same boat. The nutrient I got was called Super Ferment. LHBS didn't have DiAmmonium Phosphate, Fermaid-K, or Go-Ferm. The instructions on the packet said 1 tsp per gallon of wine or 1 tsp per 5 gallons of beer. After rereading Hightest's sticky on nutrient additions, I think that what I have has more DAP than Go-Ferm. I'll use what I got per the instructions on the packet this time around.

also, i would like to spark a mini debate about what people think is the best temperature when making the must. The sticky says 150 F, but the wiki says 185 F. What do you guys think i should do?

It is unfortunate that some LHBS offer generic nutrients. The answer to the main question of this topic is simple. If your nutrient does not specify what it contains, then opting to use it it simpy a "crap shoot", and for my money not knowning is not worth the chance to ruin a batch of mead.

My online home brew store of choice for nutrients is Austin Home Brew. They have all the nutrients: Fermaid-K, DAP, & Go-Ferm. I also believe they ship internationally.

felix said:

also, i would like to spark a mini debate about what people think is the best temperature when making the must. The sticky says 150 F, but the wiki says 185 F. What do you guys think i should do?

Click to expand...

I would do neither.

For my mead musts, I use 1-2 gallons of water heated to 115°F, turn the heat off, and then add the honey to dissolve. To reach pitching temps, I'll then add the remaining water, which has been cooling in a refrigerator.

Using this method, I can typically achieve a must temp of ~80°F without waiting...