Organic Yeast Nutrients

[dgrabstein]

Hey Mead Makers,

I've been interested lately in organic mead making :fro:, and as any mead maker knows, proper yeast nutrients are pretty important for a good batch of mead (honey alone doesn't have everything that yeast wants)

My question is: does anyone have experience/opinions on whey protein isolate as a yeast nutrient additive (instead of diammonium phosphate). Amino acids are a perfect source of nitrogen, right? Currently, molasses and whey protein are my only yeast nutrients for my mead. Thoughts? Other options for organic yeast nutrient sources?

Cheers,
Danny G

 

[Beernik]

Can't you just boil other yeast as a yeast nutrient?

 

[dgrabstein]

I've heard of people using yeast,
1. is that the best option?
2. does dead yeast have all the necessary nutrients?
3. are there any flavors to worry about when using a bunch of yeast as a nutrient source?

 

[Beernik]

Here's another thread on it: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/boiled-bakers-yeast-yeast-nutrient-258946/

I have not tried it, but it seems like the easiest solution if you are trying to avoid chemicals. A lot of the various yeast nutrients contain yeast hulls, which are just dead yeast cells.

Fermaid K is basically yeast hulls + DAP.

I don't think there are any problems with autolysis, if that's what you are asking.

 

[Arpolis]

Boiled bread yeast as a nutrient seems to do well. But with just that added my past Meads still fermented sluggishly. I added B6 at about 50mg per gallon from crushed B6 pills and that improved my results. I know that may not be "organic" but that may give you some ideas.

Now there all all sorts of reading over using other parts of the bee hive for nutrients. Propolis which is the "glue" bees use to stick things together and seal holes is high in many nutrients. Along with bee hive pollen capsules they provide a lot of what yeast need. There are even some recipes that have you add whole bee drones to the must for additional proteins. I have never tried that but it is an organic method to provide nutrients to mead.

 

[dgrabstein]

What about my question about whey protein? I undersatnd that organic nitrogen is essentially amino acids, and whey protein isolate is a pure source of amino acids, so would that make it the best yeast nutrient? Cheers

 

[Vikings]

The best organic nutrient I know of are boiled hippies. :fro:

 

[fatbloke]

Erm ?

How about Fermaid O ?

Not as high an amount of nitrogen as the "K" equivalent, but apart from that, it's organic.....

Is your honey organic ? as I'd like to know how to teach the bees to read the certification and instruct them only to visit the organic plants/flowers.......