# Yeast Nutrient



## Tom

I have been using Fernax yeast nutirent. I also see Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) yeast nutrient.
Whats the difference


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## Wade E

Fermax has a few more ingredients such as Di-Potassium Phosphate , Tastone, and Magnesium Sulfate.


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## Tom

OK 
So, if you were to buy a pound which would you get? Is one better than the other?


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## Wade E

Ive heard both sides but personnaly choose Fermax as its more designed for wine making with its few more helper ingredients where DAP was more designed for fertilizer but does a good job at this also.


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## St Allie

and if you run out of nutrient.. is there a homemade substitute?

( I ran out this morning and the HBS is an hours drive)

Allie


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## Sacalait

Very ripe bananas is my first choice. Boil the bananas down to mostly a liquid and use this as the nutrient. Yeasties like bananas more than anything else I've found.


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## St Allie

Thankyou David..


I have plenty of frozen bananas here.

Allie


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## Wade E

You can also just crush up a multi vitamin also.


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## St Allie

heheh Wade.. I have multi vitamins for men and ones for women here.. completely different vitamin ratios..

does yeast need a testosterone boost?

Allie

::


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## BettyJ

*Need yeast nutrient substitute*

Hi guys
Just read the post regarding this since I find myself low on yeast nutrient. This batch is tropical fruit with 10 bananas or so (5 gallon) and the yeast seems to be slower than usual (I have made this recipe 2 other times with the nutrient). 

Should I crush up a Centrum multi-vitamin also? It couldn't hurt anything, right? 

FYI: I researched this for hours it seemed and no one else made any suggestions for substitutions (perhaps its because they are commercial wine shops, etc?)

Thanks for all of the information - I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you all!


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## Wade E

You could use 1 per 6 gallon batch. If batch is smaller then break up accordingly. I would not use this if you are more then 1/3 of the way through fermentation though or it could leave an after taste just like you shouldnt use yeast energizer after 1/3 of fermentation is complete. Yeast nutrient is ok up until about 3/4 fermented bt wouldnt add any after that.


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## BettyJ

*Vitamin*

Great - Thanks Wade!
It is just 2 days into primary and the yeast is just way slower than norm. I added 3/4 of the tablet, since it is 5 gallons.... The yeast immediately started going crazy! What are the ingredients that are working? How is nitrogen supplied? I'm obviously not a chemistry mental giant, just curious...
Betty


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## Wade E

Mostly B-Complex and Magnesium, all the others will typically help a little also but these 2 are the big go getters.


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## BettyJ

*Yeast Nutrient questions*

Hi Wade
I got overly ambitious and started yet another batch without having the nutrient. It is slow going - this one is plum (natal - tart like cranberries) with bananas and 1/4th vitamin. SG 1.0 range. Yeast is moving slow (I did use campden tabs this is a 3 gallon batch and I used 4 tabs for 24 hrs). Perhaps the yeast is bad / old - I did not refrigerate in the beginning. Don't want the fruit to spoil - any suggestions? 

Please Note: I am in sub-tropic conditions, so the humidity and temp are high. I use water baths in coolers to keep the temps under control - 75-80 degrees. Don't really have a way to keep them under this range = although my results have been fantastic as of late, thanks to yours and others advice. To my knowledge, no one else here has made decent wine on this island in this climate (the other products are scary to say the least!), so I am way ahead of the game using tropical fruit with the grape concentrates....


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## Wade E

What was the starting sg and what is it now. if its only about 1/2 or less done fermenting add 1/2 a multivitamin.


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## BettyJ

*fermentation challenges*

The SG has gone down a little (from 1.1 to .9), so I added the 1/2 vitamin. Cross your fingers for me


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## WildSeedGrrrl

Wade E said:


> You can also just crush up a multi vitamin also.



So a regular multivitamin should work? I have one with lots of B vitamins in it. I also ran across a small blurb that said I could use regular yeast like for bread, and just boil it up to kill the yeast and throw their tiny little bodies to the wine yeast beasties. Has anyone heard of that working or have tried it themselves?

WSG


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## savaytse66

WildSeedGrrrl said:


> So a regular multivitamin should work? I have one with lots of B vitamins in it. I also ran across a small blurb that said I could use regular yeast like for bread, and just boil it up to kill the yeast and throw their tiny little bodies to the wine yeast beasties. Has anyone heard of that working or have tried it themselves?
> 
> WSG



I just got myself into a situation with a batch of Skeeter Pee (on Strawberry wine lees) where I do not have enough nutrient for my second 1TBS addition. I also read somewhere that one can boil bread yeast to use as nutrient. I have TONS of instant dry bread yeast in the freezer. How would I go about making a 1 TBS equivalent of nutrient?

I also have two very ripe bananas on the counter top than I can use if that would be better.

Thanks


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## ibglowin

Surely you jest......


And don't call me "Shirley"! 



Wade E said:


> You can also just crush up a multi vitamin also.


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## Lurker

I just go to the store and ask for yeast nutrient, last time I got fermex.


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## artguess

*Children's Chewable*

I often use a chewable children's vitamin similar to my wine as a nutrient. Grape flavor, strawberry for strawberry wine etc. It seems to work fine but I am curious if it has any effect on my final product. I am going to get some Fermax and see if I can taste any difference in the end.


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