Yeast Nutrient General Discussion

After having my recent batch of cider 'saved' by a good stir, and some yeast nutrient added, I'm left with a few questions out of interest:

1) Are there different kinds of yeast nutrient? The bag I just bought is: "diammonium phosphate"

2) If there are different commonly used types (not "brands", but actual ingredients) are some better than others for cider, generally speaking? Do you ever 'blend' nutrients and are there different yeast nutrient 'recipes' for cider?

3) What proportions do you find helpful to add (tsp/gallon or grams/litre) and at what stages?

4) Can you add too much of the stuff (other than for cost or waste reasons)?

Thanks!
CiderJoel

I use Fermax, which I get @ my LHBS. I know it has magnesium, and nitrogen@ but not sure what else is in there (no list of ingredients).

I think you are going to find a similar story from most folks. The companies that make yeast nutrient don't disclose exact ingredients or proportions. :-(

Diammonium phosphate or DAP is probably the most common yeast nutrient it can be used alone, and can also be bought blended in different proportions with inactivated yeast. Together they add both organic and inorganic nitrogen to the must. Personally, when I use a yeast that prefers a nutrient supplement, I tend toward the blended stuff, and prefer a two-stage feeding schedule, with 1/2 the recommended amount after the lag phase, and then the second half about midway through. Adding too much DAP is possible, especially with late additions to the fermentation, resulting in not all of the DAP being consumed by the yeast. It results in a somewhat jolly-ranchery/candy flavor in the cider/wine. I've met some commercial cider producers who do this on purpose in their sweet ciders.

As of yet, I haven't seen any studies specific to nutrient selection for cider as opposed to grapes, but there is no real answer to this question due to the wild range of fermentation properties between batches. How & where the apples are grown, the yeast used, the temperature, pH, and brix all influence the selection of nutrient, if it is needed at all.

I just found perhaps the mother of all resources on yeast and yeast nutrient... Holy smokes.
Page 30 at this link speaks to the different yeast nutrients and their uses....
The other pages provide some remarkable detail on different yeasts and their flavour profiles....
Scott Labs is a commercial dealer of Lallemand (Lavlin) stuff up here in Canada (where Lavlin and other Lallemand brands come from in the first place):
http://www.scottlabsltd.com/pdf/ScottLabsHandbook2012.pdf

CiderJoel said:

I just found perhaps the mother of all resources on yeast and yeast nutrient... Holy smokes.
Page 30 at this link speaks to the different yeast nutrients and their uses....
The other pages provide some remarkable detail on different yeasts and their flavour profiles....
Scott Labs is a commercial dealer of Lallemand (Lavlin) stuff up here in Canada (where Lavlin and other Lallemand brands come from in the first place)
http://www.scottlabsltd.com/pdf/ScottLabsHandbook2012.pdf

Click to expand...

Thanks for passing this along Joel, I'll dive into this sometime in the next week or so. Info is power!