[Stevie]

I wonder if I use too much. The bag always says 1tsp per gallon of wort. Seems like all of you use much less than that.

Is it the BSG stuff?

[HoosierBrew]

My LHBS was out of Wyeast once, so I bought some wine nutrient in a pinch. It said to use 1 tsp/gallon. I passed on that and used 1 tsp total.

[pete b]

Funny. It seems that the yeast nutrient question comes up every now and then and whatever the first couple of people say gains momentum. I'm pretty sure last time the consensus was it was unnecessary and those who used it didn't know if it makes a difference. I use servomyces capsules in the boil for big beers and an organic nutrient for mead and cider.
Xbeeriment?

[chumley]

I only use yeast nutrient on big beers (OG greater than 1.080).

I do add a pinch of sea salt to a lot of beers, thinking that might provide a little zinc.  My understanding is that the yeast does not need a lot of zinc, just some.

I suppose if you were a commercial brewer or were under the gun to get fermentation done quicker for whatever reason, you would use it all the time.  But my experience has been that it makes no difference in final gravity or taste in low to middle gravity beer.

[narcout]

I wonder if I use too much. The bag always says 1tsp per gallon of wort. Seems like all of you use much less than that.

What kind are you using?  The instructions for the Wyeast nutrient that I use are 1/2 tsp per 5 gallons.
 

[BrewArk]

Definitely need it for Mead Day. (& a week after that, & a week after that)

[denny]

Does anyone use it? Just realized I had some lying around.

Yep, both in starters and the boil.  Cheap insurance.

[ccfoo242]

I wonder if I use too much. The bag always says 1tsp per gallon of wort. Seems like all of you use much less than that.

Is it the BSG stuff?

Yes. I ran out recently and lhbs didn't have any so I bought White Labs servomyces.

[ccfoo242]

LOL Carlson and BSG both say 1 tsp per gallon. But now that I think about it shouldn't it vary by wort gravity also? Maybe they just want me to use a lot so I buy more.

What's the side effect of too much nutrient?

[charles1968]

LOL Carlson and BSG both say 1 tsp per gallon. But now that I think about it shouldn't it vary by wort gravity also? Maybe they just want me to use a lot so I buy more.

What's the side effect of too much nutrient?

More fusel alcohols and more spoilage organisms, particularly bacteria. Yeast nutrient also has a very strong flavour so aim to keep the quantity under taste threshold. Not sure what that is though. Not a problem if you only use it in starters.

The most important compounds are those containing nitrogen in a form yeast can convert into protein to build new cells. There's plenty of free nitrogen in wort already. Much less in fruit juice and honey, which is why nutrient is important in making wine and mead.

Don't believe anything you read on forums about excess nutrient dropping out in the sediment as it won't - it's soluble.

[dmtaylor]

I use nutrient for beers with finicky yeasts (Belgians jump to mind) or when fermentation gets stuck.  For cider and mead where I want to keep fermentation as slow and controllable as possible to maintain sweetness, I never use nutrient.  I promise it makes great beverages with no nutrient required.  These latter fermentations never get stuck for me, so in my view any reasons for using it are defeated.

[majorvices]

Funny. It seems that the yeast nutrient question comes up every now and then and whatever the first couple of people say gains momentum. I'm pretty sure last time the consensus was it was unnecessary and those who used it didn't know if it makes a difference. I use servomyces capsules in the boil for big beers and an organic nutrient for mead and cider.
Xbeeriment?

I was an off and on user until about 5 years ago. I use every batch now. FTR: The dosage according to WYEAST for their nutrient is 11 grams per bbl.

[pete b]

I use nutrient for beers with finicky yeasts (Belgians jump to mind) or when fermentation gets stuck.  For cider and mead where I want to keep fermentation as slow and controllable as possible to maintain sweetness, I never use nutrient.  I promise it makes great beverages with no nutrient required.  These latter fermentations never get stuck for me, so in my view any reasons for using it are defeated.

I have made lots of melomels and a few ciders with no nutrient and never a stuck fermentation or evidence of sulphur in the finished product. I do a long, warm secondary with meads and don't drink them young. I use nutrients with mead now out of fear and curiosity.

[hopfenundmalz]

After this presentation, I started using nutrients. There was discussion of Zinc in here, and also in a presentation by MaryBeth Raines.

http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2009/Tobias-Fischborn-NHC2009-Yeast%20nutrition.pdf

I hope this helps.

[ccfoo242]

After this presentation, I started using nutrients. There was discussion of Zinc in here, and also in a presentation by MaryBeth Raines.

http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2009/Tobias-Fischborn-NHC2009-Yeast%20nutrition.pdf

I hope this helps.

Nice.

The BSG nutrient I usually use is the kind with a lot of dead yeast cells in it, I think. Certainly smells yeasty.