Can I use Now foods brewer’s yeast as a yeast nutrient?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Crito

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
469
Reaction score
24
Location
H-Town
Can I use Now foods brewer’s yeast as a yeast nutrient?

I have seen this stuff sell for 5 bucks a pound.

My reasoning: Got to be the same stuff as the 10 bucks an ounce nutrients for the yeast. plus its food grade.
 
Uhh... I'm a little confused. Is this a nutritional yeast marketed as "brewers yeast?"

Yeast nutrient should not be expensive. Moreover, I think most homebrewers agree that great beer can be made without any yeast nutrient.
 
oh, its a health food supplement. should be the dead yeast cells that can add nutrients during the boiling of the wort.

I might skip . If there is no gain from it, I shouldn't be messing with it.
 
I just read something that implied they yeast used for our purposes was 'specially' handled somehow. If it is just dead yeast then think autolysis. The implication is that they are perhaps chemically or mechanically ripped apart when used as a yeast nutrient. I only remember that because I wondered at the time of reading if a pressure cooker would boil them into an appropriate soup for starters.
 
whether or not you need a yeast nutrient is based on your water. If it is soft water then yes, otherwise no. If you do have soft water then just get a gallon of mineral water and add that.
 
add minerial water.. got it

my parents have a ranch with an artesian well...

or I can buy ozarka water. hehehe

how many parts minerial water to filtered tap water (from my refrigerator)?
 
I picked up a pound of Fermax from the LHBS for $10... Same price for a pound of yeast energizer. You can also use the Wyeast nutrient, which a single tube will last for many batches.

Depending on what you're brewing, and the OG of the brew, some nutrient isn't a bad idea.

For using other/dry yeast as nutrient... I tossed a free packet of cooper's yeast (or was it munton's?) into the boil (last 10-15 minutes) with a batch before. This provided some more nutrient for the good yeast when they were pitched in. IMO, that's about the only thing cooper's and munton's yeast are good for... :eek: BTW, live yeast are cannibals...
 
do u think it helps if I use distilled water/corn sugar in a clean bottle, mix the nutrient and the yeast together for a few hours then put it in the wort?
 
do u think it helps if I use distilled water/corn sugar in a clean bottle, mix the nutrient and the yeast together for a few hours then put it in the wort?

Definitely not. Either pitch the yeast directly into the wort in which you have already boiled the nutrients, or rehydrate the yeast in sanitary, chlorine-free, non-distilled water first. The only nutrient that should ever be added during rehydration is Go-Ferm. The others will hurt rather than help the yeast during the rehydration phase.
 
thanks for the info. my beer will be better

my apple wine thanks you too
 
I ended up buying the Northern Brewer stuff.

Wyeast Brewer's Choice Nutrient Blend 1.5 oz, (start)
Nutriferm Advance (1/3 ferm)
Yeast Nutrient (start).
 
Back
Top