Options for yeast energizers and nutrients for mead

[TasunkaWitko]

I am looking to make my first mead soon, with local honey from a locally-operated apiary. For my first attempt, I want to keep it simple and basic, as true to fundamental mead as I can. After that, I am eager to look into meads using caramelised honey, spices, fruit etc.

I understand the necessity for yeast energizers and nutrients when making mead, and am posting this query in order to learn whether there are any "home-grown" options. I have no LHBS within a 250-mile radius, so it would be nice up have an alternative, if there is a feasible one.

I have read that raisins and possibly orange sections are a possibility, is this true? Or is there perhaps another option?

If not, I am happy to order online, but wanted to explore options, first. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Ron

 

[Arpolis]

There are 3 things I have used alone and in combination to good effect. Not as good as the normal yeast nutrient and energizer but still with good results:

All per gallon

(1) 100mg crushed b6 tablet
(1) TBS of bread yeast in 1/4 cup of water microwaved for 5 min to kill it off
(25) chopped raisins

These items add essential amino acids and nutrients to help the yeast process protean. You can give that a shot and when you feel like making a good online order then re-try your recipe with nutrient and energizer to see the difference.

 

[Taiin]

Adding on to the question, would fruits like dried elderberries or gooseberries be able to replace raisins as a nutrient? It seems historically meads were a beverage produced in regions where grapes typically did not thrive. So dried fruits that do well in more northern regions seem very fitting! Perhaps when my elderberries and gooseberries fruit this year, I will dry some of them for just such an experiment!

 

[Frognostic]

As far as I am aware, fruits such as elderberries and goosberries lack the nutrients that grapes do.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

As it turns out, I didn't have to wait for payday to make an online order, so I placed one today for yeast nutrient and energizer. The idea of using raisins, however, is one that I definitely want to explore after some more experience with the fundamentals.

We don't have elderberries around here that I am aware of, but we do have an abundance of chokecherries and buffaloberries that grow wild all over the area. I'm not sure if these will work for the purposes that are being discussed here, but they should make some interesting and delicious added flavors, to be discussed on another thread.