Yeast nutrient problem. . .

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xhalmers_860

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Hi

I recently set off three eldeberry wines in demijohns. As usual, I primed the yeast by pouring boiling water over a little sugar in a bowl, waiting till it was cool enough and adding the yeast an hour or two before adding to the demijohn.

I had two bowls - and in one also added enough yeast nutrient for 2 gallons to the hot water. This yeast never seemed to really catch on, and I added it anyway. The two with this yeast aren't bubbling at all after 24 hours, the other one (with a different yeast and no nutrient) is bubbling happily.

Has exposing the yeast to a high concentration of nutrient at the beginning killed it? Or even worse, has exposing the nutrient to high temperatures turned it into something toxic which has now killed my wine forever?

Thanks.
 
interesting one.... :hmm:

I can't advise as I'm pretty much a newbie to wine brewing, and we don't use nutrient in beer brewing...

That said, assuming still no signs of activity in another couple of days, it must be worth pitching in some fresh yeast, just to see if it takes - not really got much to lose trying it :drink:
 
Aha!

Problem solved. I pitched fresh yeast straight from the sachet into one of the dead ones, and several hours later it is now getting going. The other dead one is not doing anything.

This seems to have turned out to be a decent controlled test so let this stand as reference for forum users - don't put yeast nutrient in when you are blooming your yeast! Somehow this totally kills yeast!
 
There doesn't seem to be any problem with using a wine yeast compound which includes nutrient so I doubt that's what it is unless your concentration was very high.
Sometimes you just get a dead packet of yeast whether through exposure to high temperatures or whatever. I had a pack of Lavin yeast last year that went into a batch of TC and did absolutely nothing.
BTW, I'd just inoculate your unmoving DJ from one of the ones that are going.
I've just stripped another gallon and a half of elderberries and that's all I'll be doing when they've cooled down - a quick dip with the ladle into the FV that is already brewing and away it will go.
 
what you had was a bad bag of yeats that happens from time to time with yeasts kinda sucks but ehh always pitch more yeast hope it turns out nice :thumb:
 
What are the chances of this happening with 3 packets of yeast?

The third lot still hasn't got going, I have added a couple of other packets straight in.


Booooo
 

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