Alternative to yeast nutrient

Fellow Brewers
I now find myself in the middle eastern country where alcohol is a definite no no. However, where I live making home brew is generally acceptable. The problems that I need to overcome are in getting the ingredients, so with pasteurised apple juice readily available I thought that cider making would be my best option for a regular tipple. I did my first batch last month by adding bakers yeast to apple juice and waiting until it cleared in fridge then drinking, not great but acceptable. I managed to get some Young's Cider yeast the other day on a UK trip so I will be going at brewing cider more seriously from now on.
To get to my questions:
1. Yeast nutrient is problematic, I have heard that marmite can be used as a substitute. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?
2. I plan to reuse the yeast to make it last, any thoughts on washing and storing please?
3. Finally some have used tea as a source of tannin. Comments and thoughts on this practice please.
If there any of you on the forum that live on the shores of the Red Sea an have any tips hints or tricks I would love to hear from you.

I have heard and am using raisins for yeast nutrients.

marmite is too salty and too pungent, i would think. personally i'd rather go without nutrient, it isn't strictly necessary. i have heard others suggest killed (boiled) baker's yeast

Marcale said:

Fellow Brewers
I now find myself in the middle eastern country where alcohol is a definite no no. However, where I live making home brew is generally acceptable. The problems that I need to overcome are in getting the ingredients, so with pasteurised apple juice readily available I thought that cider making would be my best option for a regular tipple. I did my first batch last month by adding bakers yeast to apple juice and waiting until it cleared in fridge then drinking, not great but acceptable. I managed to get some Young's Cider yeast the other day on a UK trip so I will be going at brewing cider more seriously from now on.
To get to my questions:
1. Yeast nutrient is problematic, I have heard that marmite can be used as a substitute. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?
2. I plan to reuse the yeast to make it last, any thoughts on washing and storing please?
3. Finally some have used tea as a source of tannin. Comments and thoughts on this practice please.
If there any of you on the forum that live on the shores of the Red Sea an have any tips hints or tricks I would love to hear from you.

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1.) If you can't get any homebrew supplies shipped to you via an online shop, you can always use boiled baking yeast as yeast nutrient. Ordinary raisins should be readily available to you & these can help to make a good cider too. Raisins (coarsely chopped) will provide some nutients, some added sugar & will contribute some added body to the cider.

2.) I've never washed yeast, but I've reused the yeast from a previous batch by simply pouring new must/wort onto the yeastcake, works fine.

3.) I've used strong tea for the tannins, in all honesty I'm not sure it really added anything detectable or not; I've never done a side by side comparison. If there is no other source for tannin & you feel the need for it, add some strong tea to the must; if not, don't. If you can find crab apples, use them. Crab apples can add some tannin & acid to a cider that will really make it pop.

You might also consider other adjuncts like brown sugar or molasses, caraway seed, fennel, anise, ginger, or lemon zest. These & other adjuncts can really give your cider some nice variation so it never gets old.

Also, wine might be another option for you. Here is a link to a home winemaking site that has lots of info, most of which can easily be adapted for cider or mead, just scroll down for a huge list of recipes:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request.asp

Hope this info helps.
Regards, GF.

Nattron
Thanks for that I most certainly will try raisins.

Dinerstick
Thank you for your response. You share my concerns about marmite, but it is after all yeast extract - old beer yeast, boiled with a bit of salt and other minor ingredients, so it should have all the nutrient requirements for yeast growth. I planned to add only about a very small amount, so as not to affect the flavour of the final product. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite an interesting article.

Gratus (I hope you don't find me forward by using your first name)
Thanks for all your useful tips which I will try when I can. Online shopping is not an option so improvisation is the name of the game.
I am contemplating wine but that is more for the longer term. I thought of Cider as a quick solution to my current dry situation, I need something to keep my liver from expecting an ongoing trend towards a healthy lifestyle!

Marcale said:

I need something to keep my liver from expecting an ongoing trend towards a healthy lifestyle!

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HAHA...I keep my liver in a constant state of confusion as well.

I'm partial to raisins also. I get the inevitable sulfur smell, but it only usually lasts a day during peak fermentation, then it's gone. I do suggest trying to fine one's that haven't been treated with anything to preserve them and then boil in a small amount of water and mash them. I don't actually put them into my fermenter (just the boiled juice through a strainer) I guess it's more of a bitter/sweet raisin tea of sorts.

I've always used boiled bread yeast. I have an experimental batch with tea and lime juice, I'm hoping it does something to it.
You can buy microbiology kits from Midwest Supply (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewing-equipment/yeast-management/yeast-culturing.html)
See as I AM a clinical laboratorian and VERY familiar with these techniques, I would love to try this.

Sashurlow
Thank you for your advice. However, I am hoping to avoid bread yeast type flavours.
As to mid-west brewers unfortunately I am in middle east and mail order is not an option.
Marcale

By boiling (and killing) bread yeast, you are simply giving the brew yeast nutrients. Yeast can be cannibalistic and have no problems eating their dead cousins.

Yep, sashurlow is correct, "yeast hulls" (dead yeast) is a primary ingredient of "yeast nutrient."
Regards, GF.

his is what you need to do to wash your yeast and reuse. the advantage is you have more than one starter so should one mutate to something weird you will still have something usable in another jar.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

rasins are yeast nutrient as good supply of free amino nitrigen, and marmite is good yeast energizer not nutrient, because it contains B6 and B12, which most energizers contain.
I used both combined in meads in old days.
1/2 tsp marmmite/gallon
handful say 30-40 rasins /gallon
good luck

Raisin? Did you know they come from grapes? I've heard a few people in some remote country where they eat so many frogs as to be called Frogs by their neighbors, gits known for eating limes (oh my I seem to have been overserved [one would never suggest an upright gentleman such as myself would imbibe too much]) have made grape juice into a thing called whine or something like that.

So go to the wholesalers. You are looking for "utility fruit" these are the boxes of grapes, peaches plums etc that are past the stage where they can be sold to retailers.

I used to be able to buy a box of grapes for $12 but "utiliity grapes" were $2 a box. Peaches were $20 a box and utility peaches $3,

These all have higher sugar content, ie make stronger wine. Apples are hard to grow in hot climates, so higher price, mushy and not great sugar content. Now someone mentioned crabapples which are more tart and do make a nice dry wine.

Not hard to find stills in Mideast. They use them for making essential oils. Look in a brass shop. Now you are ready for brandy.

Someone mentioned using something to Stop or make sure the fermentation has stopped. Use and airlock and wait three days after the last bubble.

Leaving sticks and stems in the must will give you nutrients