Yeast nutrient, needed?

[Mattyde05]

Hi guys just wanted to get your opinions on using yeast nutrient. Do you use it or not ? And if so what brand do you use ?
Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

What are you making?
If I'm making wine, I generally add a teaspoonful per gallon of Young's or Wilkinson's or whatever. If I'm making mead, I'll go a couple of teaspoonsful a gallon and then a bit more near the end.
If I'm making beer I only use it when I'm fermenting with kveik.

 

[jof]

I never use it when making beer.

I didn't use any in my last couple of experimental 'squash' wine showing my teenage son how cheaply you can brew. These took longer than expected to start & were quite slow to ferment. So if we do more - then I will also follow Ankou's advice & add some nutrient (or tomato paste)

 

[AXW123]

I always use it. It’s pretty cheap so I think it can probably only make the yeasties happier so why not?

 

[Graz]

For beer with a run of the mill dried yeast not necessary. Beer is quite nutritious to yeast as it is. I only use it in wine making.

 

[Kveik Freak]

A tin of old baking yeast I'm working my way through. I'm using about a teaspoon per 2.5L added to the boiling wort 10 minutes before flame out and it works very well.

 

[strange-steve]

A tin of old baking yeast I'm working my way through. I'm using about a teaspoon per 2.5L added to the boiling wort 10 minutes before flame out and it works very well.

Perfect nutrient, and probably cheaper than DAP and servomyces. When you run out you could just save some yeast slurry from the bottom of your FV and use that.

 

[jceg316]

I don't use nutrient for most beer yeasts. When I use kveik it's important to add enough for a quick ferment. I used to not add it and my ferments would take an awfully long time (the beer is still a good beer though, just a long ferment). I've never added to cider, both turbo and normal, and noticed the ferments took a really long time. I just read Craft Cider Making by Andrew Lea who says nutrient is needed to ferment cider, which is probably why my ferments took so long.

With kveik I also use bread yeast 10 mins before the end of the boil. Works really well and will try it with my next cider batch.