Big beer, adding nurients while srepping up?

[Hopelesst]

So our first big beer is tucked away in the basement fermenting furiously. We pitched our starter and everything seems to be going well so far.

This beer is pushing the alcohol tolerance of the yeast. We're using WLP001 (11% tolerance) and this beer is gonna settle out around 9.9 to 10.3%. To help the yeasties along we'll be waiting to add the candi sugar until high krauzen for the first pound, and two days later for the second.

My question is this: Mead makers rely on periodic dosing of yeast nutrients to keep their fermentation going. When I add the sugar to my fermermenter should I also feed in another 1/2tsp of nutrient? I cant see how it would be harmful, but I would really like some input.

Thanks!

 

[amandabab]

It won't hurt.
Since your pushing the yeast to its alcohol tolerance an energizer (diammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, yeast hulls and vitamin B complex) might help more towards the end.

Beer usually has enough nutrient in it. Meads and wines are often nutrient deficient from the start.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

I agree. I'd add it as well. When I feed big beers, I also add nutrient. I'd also suggest re-suspending (swirling the carboy) the yeast once in a while too.

 

[amandabab]

when I go really big I also oxygenate while fermenting in addition to swirling and feeding.

 

[biochemedic]

when I go really big I also oxygenate while fermenting in addition to swirling and feeding.

If I understand yeast life cycles, this would really only be helpful in the early stages of fermentation (the growth phase). I do add a second shot of oxygen about 12 hrs after pitching on higher gravity brews. (be careful with your flow rates, and it does help to gently degas the carboy beforehand...very easy to get a sticky volcano if you're too vigorous!)

Overall, I don't think you *need* nutrients for higher gravity brews...as mentioned previously, mead must is very nutrient deficient, so the staggered nutrient addition in early fermentation is very important. This should not be an issue with a beer wort. I don't think you will hurt anything if you do add nutrient, but it's likely unnecessary.

 

[helibrewer]

You want your nutrients to run out as fermentation ends, the main reason being that the "baddies" like the same nutrients as the yeast so you want a nutrient desert as fermenation ends. Adding FermAid K when fermentation has progressed about 1/3 should suffice, I believe it's about 1 gram per gallon for the addition. Some suggest another addition at 2/3's complete but nothing past that.

 

[Hopelesst]

Ok. So an addition with out first step would be fine, but that should be fine. Good to know. I'll take a grave check before the step to be sure.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Gravity check mid ferment? another unneccessary if you asked me, but OK.

Oxygen also can't hurt when stepping, and there isn't much research on step fermentation.

IMHO, no nutrient, boil the candi sugar, dump it in semi cooled, oxygenate a little, seal it up. Repeat.


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[dcp27]

This beer is pushing the alcohol tolerance of the yeast. We're using WLP001 (11% tolerance) and this beer is gonna settle out around 9.9 to 10.3%.

you have quite a bit of space, 001 can go up to 15%. IME, 10% isn't big enough to necessitate adding extra nutrient

 

[Hopelesst]

So we added the nurients with the first addition on day three, and planned to leave them out of the day 5 addition. Thinking about what our high efficiency had done to our gravity we decided to forego the second addition all together. The gravity sample yesterday was great. Clean and smokey despite the high ferm temp (72 was as low as we could get it during the 2 week heat wave/power outtage fiassco). It's a bit thinner than anticipated, so I'm glad weleft out that other pound of sugar.

Oh yeah, we're at 1.018 after two weeks.

Thanks for the help!