thoughts on yeast nutrients?

There are a bunch of nutrients on the market, from plain DAP to 'complete' nutrient mixes from Wyeast, White Labs, etc.

In a 'normal' gravity beer with good oxygenation and a large starter - do they actually have an effect, or is it more psychological?

Do you use nutrients in all your beers, or just 'difficult' beers that are high gravity, or otherwise hostile to yeast health?




Personally, I use a TBSP or so of dry yeast, boiled in my starter wort, with some DAP. I'll brew up 4 or 5 gallons of 1.040 starter wort that's lightly hopped (maybe 10 IBU's), and pressure-can it for future use. This way, I am using nutrient in all my beers, indirectly.

I used to use it when doing extract beers. I had heard that the extracts lack some of the nutrients gotten by mashing grains. Once I moved to all-grain I stopped using them and haven't noticed a bit of difference. I've recently brewed a few high grav beers (1.08+) and all three fermented cleanly and thoroughly without the nutrients added.

Don't use it for beer or cider, just wines and meads.

david_42 said:

Don't use it for beer or cider, just wines and meads.

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Really? Wyeast Beer Nutrient Blend and White Servo seem directly targetted at beer specifically

It depends. If its a beer recipe using Honey in a decent quantity, I'll add some. Same with a big beer like a Barley wine. I have also used some in the occassional cider.
Typically I use White Labs Servomeyces

I use the Wyeast nutrient in every batch and have been very happy with it.

prosper said:

Really? Wyeast Beer Nutrient Blend and White Servo seem directly targetted at beer specifically

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Cider and mead are very nutrient poor compared to beer so it is somewhat obvious that the motivation for exogenous nutrient is higher there.

Only in cider and mead.

If you pitch healthy amounts of yeast you shouldn't have a problem getting fermentation going in beer without nutrients.