Fermentation Nutrient Schedule?

[neohistory]

Hey guys, I have another question so pardon my picking of your brains/posting rapidly. I located a website that was recommended on another forum that had a "nutrient schedule" for a mead. I have not followed this at all and I'm curious if anyone has followed something like this? Is this truely necessary or is this one of those debatable methods?

Referenced from http://www.utahpagans.org/MeadLecture.htm

 

[MedsenFey]

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 feeding potential spoilage organisms.

I'd add the first nutrients as soon as there is some visible sign of fermentation after pitching. This is the end of what is know as the lag phase and it may be at 8 hours, or it could be as little as 2 hours or as much as 36-48 hours depending on the yeast, temperature, and preparation.

I'd add the second batch at the 1/3 fermentation point (when the gravity has dropped 1/3 of the expected amount). The last nutrients I would add at the 1/2 fermentation point. Beyond that time, add DAP does not help as the yeast cannot assimilate it late in fermentation.

As for the amount of nutrients, what they indicate for the 5-gallon batch should work if you use the 71B yeast. If you use the D47, I'd use 50% more as it tends to need more than 71B.

One last small item. Per BJCP guidelines, the term "Show Mead" refers to a mead that is made using only honey, water and yeast, with no nutrients added. If you add nutrients, the correct term is a "traditional mead." Recipes that are called show meads which use nutrients are a bit out of date.

Medsen

 

[Matrix4b]

Ok, so Step Nutrients are in 2 steps:

Start: None.
At 1/3 sugar break: 1/3 total nutrient/energizer.
At 1/2 sugar break: 2/3 totl nutrient/energizer.

Is this correct? No Nutrient/Energizer at the start of fermentation and not until the 1/3 sugar break?

Sugar Break (For those that don't know the terminology) is the point where 1/3 or 1/2 of the expected sugar is used up by the yeast. And you can tell that by the gravity. This is found by first checking the starting gravity and checking how much sugar is availible for consumption and how much your yeast is capable of.

Do I have this right?

Matrix

 

[MedsenFey]

You can do nutrients 2 steps, 3 steps, or more. I've read some folks adding nutrients twice a day, but I think you can easily go overboard with the frequency.

If you do 2 steps, add some (50-66%) at the end of lag phase and the rest at the 1/3 sugar break.

If you do 3 steps, add 50% at the end of lag phase, 25% at 1/3 sugar break and 25% at the 1/2 sugar break. Some recipes actually call for amino nitrogen (organic energizers) at the 2/3 sugar break, and that is Ok, but you should have all the DAP in by the 1/2 sugar break.

These are all rough guidelines, and everyone develops their own style and timing. The yeast are not that picky about when they get things and they certainly aren't obsessed with the sugar breaks. However, the goal is to get the larger portions in early during the rapid growth phase, when the yeast need it most so you generally front-load your additions. But you don't want them running out of nutrients too quickly and getting stinky, so it pays to add some as the fermentation progresses which is why we stagger the additions.

I hope that helps.

Medsen

 

[neohistory]

Alright, well I will play around with it and make test batches where I follow the schedule compared to one I don't just to see if I find a difference. Thanks for the info!