Mead Nutrients 101: What are they, why do we need them, and HOW?

Mead nutrients. Why do yeast need anything other than sugar, anyhow? Perhaps the most complex and confusing topic in meadmaking. To understand yeast nutrition, you need a gradeschool understanding on yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN), parts per million (PPM), and brix. We're going too strip away as much lingo as possible and give an entry level course on staggered nutrient schedules, TOSNA, TBE, Frontloading, Fermaid O, Fermaid K, diamonnium phosphate (DAP), yeast hulls, and even RAISINS. I hope you enjoy! Viking Bee is back! Big thanks to Dogstickfetch for the cartoon voices in this video. :)
0:00 Intro/acknowledgements
1:06 YAN, PPM, and Brix
4:37 Nutrient options
9:17 Nutrient schedules
Travis Blount-Elliot's whitepaper:
docs.google.com/document/d/11...
Reddit nutrition wiki:
/ staggered_nutrient_add...
Nutrient calculator:
www.meadmakr.com/batch-buildr/
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
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#meadnutrition101 #meadnutrients101 #mead

[@jpkoty2208]

Ur the only mead maker that has a stand-able voice, thank u sir

[@donmilleriii7399]

That was really good. Deep enough to explain why it's useful, but not pedantic or patronizing. Solid stuff!

[@michaelrogowski62]

I’ve been waiting for this! 😁😁

[@DointheMost]

🍻

[@louisianaprepper13]

Thanks for the video.. That is a ton of great information.. I hear you guys talking about these nutrition systems but this clears a lot up.

[@N0FPV]

What a great video, thank you so much! I feel like I will have to keep a wider variety of nutrients in my kit so I can have different tools for different situations.

[@nathanielklein311]

Great video! This is very helpful.

[@jasonduggan2987]

Thanks for breaking it all down. Really helps wrap the brain around all the different options and approaches.

[@DointheMost]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@riukrobu]

Cheers! Very well explained an thorough! So useful!

[@DointheMost]

Thanks, friend!

[@conradwheeler68]

More great info. Thank you for your contributions to the community

[@DointheMost]

Thanks man!

[@FaewoodMead]

Such a high-quality video! This is honestly so solid!

[@DointheMost]

Thank you, friend!

[@griesemaster]

Super well planned video, thanks so much for all the content you put out. I didn't consider using different schedules for different ABV targets but I think I will try it next time. Your videos always focus on how I can do better in my brews and I really like brainstorming new brews with the fundamentals you show!

[@DointheMost]

Thank you so much! I’ve been planning this one for a while but just haven’t had the time to dive into it like I wanted to. I really appreciate the warm response today!

[@EtherealPrelude]

I really appreciate this video. It seems like there is so much confusion and misinformation surrounding yeast nutrition and this is a solid resource to put folks on the right track. Cheers!

[@DointheMost]

Thank you! Felt like the Internet needed a little book report video on nutrient haha

[@craigsomerton2359]

Awesome stuff BC. Without doubt, your channel is the most professional, the best produced and researched, and the most educational, for wine and mead-making.

[@DointheMost]

Thanks, this means a lot. Happy brewing! 🍻

[@tannerbuschman1]

I could not agree more

[@jameskeal8957]

You've open the door to your understanding of what not only you but everyone else should know about nutrients. I've got into nutrients maybe year or so. So this video presents a better understanding of what happened when nutrients are added and when they're added. And for me I was not aware of this. You just have this understanding about what you want and how you can make a finish product that much better. I myself have had several problems with this issue. Some turned out outside and some not so but were drinkable. I could go on and on, but will leave be. I've always enjoyed your videos and references to them over and over. Just keep up themost.

[@DointheMost]

Thank you so much! Happy brewing!

[@veganmichelle]

Very useful!!! 🎉

[@zachburton4190]

Loveee this vid I have been waiting for a good nutrient video!

[@DointheMost]

Thank you! Cheers! 🍻

[@TigerPat_9180]

Thanks , it was very Helpful , and Food for Thought . Enjoyed it as always , with your Videos . 🐯🤠

[@DointheMost]

Cheers friend! 🍻

[@MrJeremyLewis81]

Didn't know this was the video I needed in my life to lock down my method of using nutrients.

[@PhyleXTension82]

I'm all of 2 seconds into the video and the one thing I have to say is that I love the shirt!! Well, that and thanks for all of your content.

[@DointheMost]

Thanks! It was a gift from my pal Man Made Mead.

[@dockofthebaycountrywines69]

Excellent!👍

[@DointheMost]

🍻

[@cm_carlito]

Good thing you included raisins as its own category since it is the best nutrient ever and does not give a weird flavor to your brew... LOL j/k Thanks for the video. Very informative.

[@DointheMost]

Nothing like a few dried up grapes to make your mead taste like an old cookie you found at the back of your grandmother‘s cupboard.

[@jasonlayman8817]

Good info, i noticed if a brew starts to slow if i add a gram or so of dap it usually picks backup.

[@DointheMost]

Round here I call that “a dash of encouragement” 😂

[@nelathan]

Sadly in my country those products are not available. So i am left to use the recommended limits for wine musts or assume some value like 14 YAN per g/L For high gravity musts and yeast with medium to high nitrogen hunger i would need over 20g of this product whereas the recommended limit is 6g (10L must). So your video was great but leaves me with so many questions 😅

[@DointheMost]

Which products are you referring to?

[@nelathan]

@@DointheMost i dont have access to scottlabs products like fermaid k. I have nutrient from preziso.

[@DointheMost]

@@nelathan Ah gotcha

[@kb2vca]

This was really good. Very clear and very thoughtful. One question that you did not ask - or address - was precisely when to add nutrients. I know so many folk who add their front-loaded nutrients BEFORE they pitch the yeast. You mention adding nutrient 24 hours AFTER pitching and that was what I learnt because adding nutrients before pitching provides the nutrients that indigenous yeast bacteria and mold can use without any competition from the yeast you want to grow. Thoughts?

[@DointheMost]

My understanding has changed on this over the last few years, but I believe current thinking is that the colony should start to get established before providing them with a diet of candy (YAN). Then, once they’ve passed through lag phase, it’s OK to start the nutrient regiment. The caveat to that being, if you’re rehydrating with Go Ferm you’re providing a different kind of nutrient right from the start.

[@nelathan]

@@DointheMost but considering a grape must it already serves loads of nitrogen. It would make sense to me to add some fermaid O from the start

[@DointheMost]

@@nelathan That’s apples to oranges here, though.

[@theresawang5541]

Thank you so much for the informative video! Just an idea, will you consider doing a video comparing mead made with boiled yeast to mead made with fermaid o? It’s difficult for me to find fermaid o where I live.

[@DointheMost]

I’ll add that to the ideas list! Could be a fun one. I’ve had a few meads made with boiled bread yeast and, while they were young, I didn’t didn’t notice any off flavors.

[@bonsang1073]

well done

[@DointheMost]

Cheers! 🍻

[@DragonsinGenesisPodcast]

Question: I sold my blue iMac quite a few years ago and now use my phone for most online calculators. Will it still work or do I need to get another old school iMac?

[@PhyleXTension82]

🤣😂🤣😂

[@DointheMost]

The iMac G3 really was the ultimate processing power for nutrient calculations 😂

[@simont.4176]

Very nice video! Do you know about shelf life of the different nutrients or they are basically good forever?

[@DointheMost]

My understanding is that the ones that contain organic nitrogen have a shelflife of a few years. DAP should be good sort of forever, as I understand it!

[@Grandpa_RLP]

So is it better to use K instead of O? (I have a lot of O) I also have one that says it contains Food grade Urea and Diammonium Phosphate (I am guessing that is K) If I was going to use both are you suggesting the O in the early stage and K in the latter? Thanks for the info.

[@kiwiprouddavids724]

Damn my little brew book is turning into a folder with a section for terms and another for tips and interesting bits and pieces. I've got to ree watch this, and write down some notes , thanks I'm slowly learning,lol more I learn the less I feel like I know 👍

[@DointheMost]

Happy brewing! 🍻

[@mikemurphy80]

I put too much Fermaid in my brew. Is that a problem Can I clear it up still and should I just toss it?

[@marcmiddleton2277]

What's a link to a nutrient calculator?

[@ahviper5871]

What about pollen? Anyone has an idea if it can be used as yeast nutrients? Thanks in advance

[@markhanlon4312]

I have a question, I just got in a 2 gallon Mr Beer American Lager refill kit and want to see what it would taste like if I fermented it with honey. The question is how much honey would you recommend and type of yeast?

[@DointheMost]

For a lager kit, kveik Lutra might be a good choice. For that small of a quantity I would probably use no more than 1 pound of honey.

[@sandon763]

I’m still relatively new to brewing, and I just upgraded from only using dap, and I was wondering if the nutrient Fermax is able to be used interchangeably with fermade K? Because from what I’ve seen through my research it’s a dap and organic yeast nutrient.

[@DointheMost]

Yes they are very similar. I would treat it like Fermaid K.

[@tedlofland3446]

Have you considered Bee pollen as an additional yeast nutrient?

[@Funpants94]

Do you have any tips on nutrient additions when making melomels? I typically don't take gravity readings within the 5 days, but recently had a blueberry melomel go from 1.100 to dry in 6 days with 71b.

[@DointheMost]

For me it depends on the load of fruit. I usually try for 4 to 5 pounds of fruit per gallon minimum. Which in that case, personally, I would probably use 80% or so of what a nutrient calculator tells me to do. Then when staggering, I would take a degassed gravity reading each day and not add any additional nutrients if I run up against the 2/3 sugar break before adding all of my nutrient additions.

[@Funpants94]

@@DointheMost great advice. Thanks!

[@ming562]

I just made a 25L batch of mead. 8L honey 17L water. Added 10g mangrove jack mead yeast. Blend. Then 5g DAP about 5min later. Did I fuck up?

[@ginkgoleif]

Okay, but where did you get your Shirt?!

[@StickMechanics]

Where does yeast energizer fit into this?

[@nmmrg]

I mean technically a 1lb fish in 1mil of water would be less than 1ppm of fish material because the fish contains water to begin with.

[@SpillTheWine67]

So I’ve seen a couple channels using Bee Propolis as a yeast nutrient, do you have any info, comments or suggestions regarding the use of it? THANKS!

[@DointheMost]

That sounds totally made up. But I would be open to seeing a chemical analysis on the YAN content.

[@FunkyFyreMunky]

Propolis is 18% nitrogen, the same as DAP, but I have no idea whether or not it is assimilable. It also contains waxes, oils and resins that, personally, I wouldn't like to put in a brew. While looking up propolis, I encountered a mead experiment run by a micro-winery to determine if bee pollen could be a promising yeast nutrient. Apparently it could boost production of some of the alcohols, acids and esters that contribute to scent. I'll see if I can post a link.

[@FunkyFyreMunky]

No, I cannot post a link. I'll put it on the Discord chat.

[@julietardos5044]

That sounds expensive.

[@zgk815]

Do a mead nutrients 102 or 201!

[@keithmcauslan943]

I picked up Fermax Yeast nutrient from BSG from my Home Brew Shop. Can you provide a comparative reference to Fermaid O or K, Please?

[@DointheMost]

I would use it just like Fermaid K. 👍

[@keithmcauslan943]

@@DointheMost I will start a staggered nutrition schedule with my next Wine\ Mead, thank you.

[@nicholashess5977]

Go team Star San

[@DointheMost]

😂

[@yzm2065]

it appears you have mixed up the definitions of Fremaid O and K

[@Funpants94]

Big fan of the grumpy cat mouse

[@DointheMost]

Don’t you miss custom cursors? Such a relic of a time gone by.

[@LFHiden]

might have missed it but what happens if you add to much nutrients?

[@DointheMost]

It depends on the type of nutrient, but certain ones (esp DAP) can lead to off flavors if too much is left behind.

[@LFHiden]

@@DointheMost what about Fermaid-O and Goferm? 😬

[@DointheMost]

@@LFHiden depends on how much. Many of the compounds will just fall out during clearing. But if it’s like, way too much, yeast derived nutrients can leave a slightly bready or cheesy flavor.

[@donharris1923]

What about Fermax wine nutrient?

[@DointheMost]

It’s very, very similar to Fermaid K, though less holistically nutrient dense (and less widely available IME). So it didn’t make my list here.

[@donharris1923]

@@DointheMost Thank you. I have some because my brew shop was out of Femaid K the last time I went there as it is about a 45 minute drive across Atlanta

[@DointheMost]

@@donharris1923 I’d treat it as you would Fermaid K! Happy brewing 🍻

[@donharris1923]

@@DointheMost Thank you again and as always your videos are informative and entertaining. I have only dabbled with mead making but grow my own fruit and vinted 12 bottles of Blackberry wine last year. Hoping to put up some Peach wine using your guidance.

[@DointheMost]

@@donharris1923 We’re brewing up Jack Keller’s peach wine soon! (Having a glass right now, actually) Sounds like you’re doin’ the most!

[@mutantryeff]

Correction: if you have 999,999 pounds of water and a 1-pound fish, then you have one PPM fish.

[@andrewburchill5212]

"Ho ho hoo!"

[@DointheMost]

😂