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YAN (yeast assimilable nitrogen) is the measurement we look at most commonly. Wine yeast usually need more than 150 ppm (mg/L) YAN; 200-250 ppm in most cases though some nutrient hog strains need more. The amounts needed also go up as the gravity goes up. DAP - 1 g per liter give 210 ppm YAN...

Generally, you should calculate up the total amount of nutrient/energizer you want to add to the batch, and then break it up into stages. How you break it up is highly debatable, but if you add 2/3 at the end of lag phase, and the remaining 33% at the 1/3 fermentation point, you'll usually be...

One great thing about traditional meads is that they tend to be quite resistant to oxidation - much more so than white wines or beers. If you have a lot of sediment, I'd rack off of it into another container (bottling bucket or another carboy). When you are bottling, you don't need to be worried...

The use of staggered nutrients is good. I generally suggest adding the nutrients at a given point in the fermentation based on gravity, not based on number of days because I have had complete fermentation is as little as 48 hours, and giving nutrients after a fermentation is finished is just...

Using EC-1118 generally screws up the recipe by leaving it too dry, but that is a matter of personal taste. Also, using EC-1118 makes it a lot more likely to have renewed fermentation after bottling if there is residual sugar - popped corks and bottle bombs can happen. Your best bet it to use a...

Formation of Ethyl Esters of Tartaric Acid During Wine Aging: Chemical and Sensory Effects from Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 36:2:118-124 (1985). This is just one example of how an alcohol and an acid can combine to form an ester in wines.

From the scholarly papers I have reviewed, I'd say wiki has that wrong. Nutrients and rapid yeast growth promote fusel production, but that doesn't mean you should try to starve your yeast. If you don't feed your yeast properly, the sulfur odors and other byproducts from the under-nourished...

Agave fermentations are often challenging. Partly it is a pH issue, but there may be other things in there that inhibit yeast. I'd suggest a strong yeast and a big starter.

I don't know of any research on that question, but it is a good one. I once tried heating a very fusel-heavy batch in the way they do for a Madeira wine to see if that would speed up the clearing of fusels, but in my anecdotal experience, it didn't seem to make much difference. I didn't send...

Generally speaking, it is wise to skip adding acid until after fermentation is complete. Acid blend may drop the pH low enough to impair the yeast depending on what type of honey you use.

Fusels do smooth out. They combine with acids to form esters through non-enzymatic reactions while aging. However, this process can take a long time with some batches. Anything that causes faster yeast growth and faster fermentations rates seems to increase fusel alcohol production. However...

I've not been impressed with turbo yeast when I've used them. In this case it looks stuck. The one thing that is consistent about turbo yeast is that they are rapid. This is now more than 3 weeks old and still only at 12% ABV. I'll be surprised if it does much more. Endeavor to persevere...

That info helps. Although it looks clear as a bell, try shining a flashlight through it to see if you can see the beam. If you can, it will still clear more. Berry melomels can clear very rapidly (thanks to those tannins), but I'd be a little surprised if this one doesn't drop some more...

Can you give us the recipe details? This mead is not old enough to be sure that fermentation will not restart. It probably isn't finished dropping sediment either.

The yeast can eat the honey off the bottom. We sometimes use this technique intentionally - referred to as "bottom dwelling continuous diffusion yeast feeding" or BDCDYF for short. Just make sure you are providing nutrients, aeration, and other good management and it should be fine. Medsen

While it might cause more fusels, the effect is not significant and using a full packet in 1-gallon batches can produce excellent results. Also, conversion of higher alcohol to esters is not a yeast function. It occurs through aging.

Goldenrod can make a great mead, but can have an earthy, "arm-pit" smell particularly during fermentation. Heating/boiling and skimming are not necessary to make mead though there may be some types of honey that do benefit from it.

1/3 done means when the gravity has dropped 1/3 of the amount you expect for the complete fermentation. If you start at a gravity of 1.090, you'll be at the 1/3 fermentation point (sometimes called the 1/3 sugar break) when the gravity hits 1.060. You need aeration to provide oxygen to the...

I wouldn't be too hard on them. Very few store have people that are really knowledgeable about meads. EC-1118 is a relatively bullet-proof yeast for most wine makers and will usually finish a fermentation without much problem. However, it does need the nutrient levels that one finds in wines...

MEA - Mead Eruption Accident Swirling/stirring/sloshing all work to aerate the mead. I personally favor a whisk and a strong right arm!