how much DAP to add to mead?

[oregonian]

Last Saturday I pitched a one gallon mead just to see what it would taste like. I was reading yesterday that adding DAP or any yeast nutrient high in nitrogen will help the yeast work at full capacity on processing the mead because honey is low in nitrogen and other essential chemicals that yeast need.

My question is, how much DAP or yeast nutrient should I add at a time and how often? Right now the brew consists of 1 gallon of water and 3 pounds of honey.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tweake]

i took the easy way, followed the amounts listed on the packet. amounts vary as the mix they contain is different from brand to brand. ones i've used list mead. if it only lists wine mead is often double of the wine amount.

when to add it, look up SNA.

 

[MedsenFey]

Ideally the yeast need more than DAP alone, and using a product like Fermaid K (an energizer that contains autolyzed yeast, vitamins and minerals) will give the yeast everything needed. The question of how much depends also on which yeast you are using - which one is that?

For a 1 gallon batch, 2 grams DAP (1/2 tsp) and 4 grams Fermaid K (1 tsp) will usually get you enough for most yeast.

Medsen

 

[oregonian]

Ideally the yeast need more than DAP alone, and using a product like Fermaid K (an energizer that contains autolyzed yeast, vitamins and minerals) will give the yeast everything needed. The question of how much depends also on which yeast you are using - which one is that?

For a 1 gallon batch, 2 grams DAP (1/2 tsp) and 4 grams Fermaid K (1 tsp) will usually get you enough for most yeast.

Medsen

I just put in a half-tsp of brewcraft yeast nutrient. It seems to be working because the airlock is bubbling once every 15 seconds and I only pitched it on saturday (my last 2 gal batch didn't bubble at all). Thanks for the recommendation on Fermaid K, I think I'll add that on my next brew.

 

[tweake]

for 2 gal (if i get the conversion right) you need about 4 tsp dap total.
depending on which brewcraft nutrient you get, one has acid blend in it. thats not really suitable for mead early on as it can make it too acid and cause it to stop.
should be ok for useing it on the last lot of nutrient added.

you really want to use fermaid K to start the mead off, then add in your brewcraft nutrient later on.

 

[MedsenFey]

Tweake, if you use 2 tsp of DAP per gallon, that is roughly 8-9 grams and will give something 450-500 ppm nitrogen which is frankly more than most fermentations need unless you are using a nitrogen hog of a yeast and doing a really high gravity fermentation. Using too much nitrogen can lead to problems including decreased aroma, and more sulfur odors (yes, more - too little nitrogen or too much nitrogen can cause this). A lot of extra DAP may affect flavor, and extra nitrogen may be left over to feed spoilage organisms.

Also, the problem with late additions of DAP is that after about the 1/2 way point in a fermentation the yeast are unable to assimilate and use DAP. At that point, only nutrients that are amino based will be useful, and of course, late additions are generally less useful anyway - by the time yeast stick due to lack of nutrients, adding nutrients does little good as it is too late.

Medsen

 

[tweake]

interesting.

just reading off the packets of a couple of local ones i have here (one is brewcraft), they both recommend 1 tsp per 1.2-1.3 US gallons for wine and 2 tsp for mead.
mind you this is a mix (Diammonium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulphate) not straight DAP and with brewcraft it also has acid blend.

i'm all for using less if i can get away with it.
how much does the yeast influence the amount of nutrient to use?
i read some yeast have low or high nutrient requirements but how does that translate into quantity you need to put in?

 

[MedsenFey]

how much does the yeast influence the amount of nutrient to use?

A lot.

i read some yeast have low or high nutrient requirements but how does that translate into quantity you need to put in?

For yeast with a high nitrogen requirement, my (anecdotal) experience is that about 50% more nitrogen seems to work in most cases.

Medsen

 

[tweake]

so the big question is why are manufactures recommended levels 4 times as much ?