GoFerm Sterol Flash and the benefits of hydrating yeasts a sterol rich environment

[BPL]

There have been lots of discussions about starting yeast, what's good, and various practices at the start of making wine.

I came across the article recently. It's dated June, 2023, but offers an insight the benefits of advanced technology hydrating yeasts, rather than conventional methods, like overnight starters, starting with sugar, or even dry pitching.

I'll be the first to admit, that all "work" to make wine. However, some methods (like using GoFerm Evolution and GoFerm Sterol Flash) enhance flavors in wine.

Additional information can be found in the Scott Labs handbook and various sources on the 'net.

Enjoy the read and the videos.

https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2023/06/05/rewrite-the-rules-of-yeast-rehydration/

Barry

 

[Ohio Bob]

I should be getting Sterol Flash in a week or so to try. The plan is to ferment a Chilean juice bucket of Sauvignon Blanc in my cellar (55F now, but closer to 60F when the bucket comes in around April).

 

[winemaker81]

According to MoreBeer, the usage is 1.25 g per 1 g yeast, so that 6.25 g for 5 g packet of yeast.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/goferm-protect-2.html

The Lallemand spec sheet says to use the package once opened:

https://products.lallemandwine.com/...tors/59-technical-datasheet-cp-1711469482.pdf

How well does it store?

I see MoreBeer has 10 g, 100 g, and 625 g packages. The 10 g seems pointless, as there's only enough for 1.5 packets of yeast. The 100 g is good for 16 packets of yeast, which is 80 to 96 carboys of 19-23 liter size.

 

[BPL]

According to MoreBeer, the usage is 1.25 g per 1 g yeast, so that 6.25 g for 5 g packet of yeast.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/goferm-protect-2.html

The Lallemand spec sheet says to use the package once opened:

https://products.lallemandwine.com/...tors/59-technical-datasheet-cp-1711469482.pdf

How well does it store?

I see MoreBeer has 10 g, 100 g, and 625 g packages. The 10 g seems pointless, as there's only enough for 1.5 packets of yeast. The 100 g is good for 16 packets of yeast, which is 80 to 96 carboys of 19-23 liter size.

I stepped through the calculations from the Scott Labs handbook, page 42. Screen shot attached. The values in red are the calculations of the individual steps. The MoreBeer web site appears to be correct.

I bought a 100gram package about a year ago. I keep mine stored in a canning jar in the fridge. My supply is about 1 1/2 years old. I've started about 8 batches of wine. There are no signs of failure or degradation. I'll likely replace all my chemicals at the beginning of next year's winemaking season.

I should note that GoFerm Sterol Flash DOES NOT START YEAST. It is a >>>hydration nutrient<<< and does not "start" the yeast.

The biggest benefit I've found is using Fermaid products following the pitching of the yeast slurry, at AF and 1/3 sugar depletion.

Barry

 

[BarrelMonkey]

I've always used the Scott Labs protocol (or a close variant thereof) with Go-Ferm, more recently Go-Ferm protect evolution; I've found it to be very reliable. I've never tried the sterol flash product.

My brief protocol -

Yeast 25g/hL
GoFerm 30g/hL
Water 20x GoFerm by volume (so, eg for 30g GoFerm use 600mL water)

- Heat water to 110 F
- Resuspend GoFerm in water and let cool to <105 F
- Sprinkle yeast on top (no stirring), leave for 5 minutes
- Mix vigorously and leave for 10 minutes
- Gradually add juice/must at 5-10 min intervals until starter temperature is within 18F of bulk must temperature
- Pitch yeast

For small fermentations (eg 5 gal) I find it helpful to use a water bath to initially heat the water, otherwise it cools down too fast.

 

[winemaker81]

I bought a 100gram package about a year ago. I keep mine stored in a canning jar in the fridge. My supply is about 1 1/2 years old. I've started about 8 batches of wine. There are no signs of failure or degradation. I'll likely replace all my chemicals at the beginning of next year's winemaking season.

That's good to know. Proper storage makes a huge difference.

I should note that GoFerm Sterol Flash DOES NOT START YEAST. It is a >>>hydration nutrient<<< and does not "start" the yeast.

This cannot be emphasized enough. Folks WILL make the mistake of using GoFerm Sterol Flash as the nutrient. It may still work, but it's far from optimal.

 

[BPL]

In addition to the link above, Lallemand published this paper in August, 2024. I find it very educational.

https://admin.lallemandwine.com/wp-...ds-are-useful-during-yeast-rehydration_EN.pdf

 

[David Violante]

Thank you for those resources, great reads~

So it sounds like the process would then be to rehydrate with sterol flash for 15 mins and then follow the yeast starter protocol. I’ve taken to the process that @BarrelMonkey described, although I hadn’t thought of a water bath to keep the solution from cooling too quickly for smaller amounts. It sounds like once yeast is rehydrated, however, that it’s not necessary to be in a much warmer starter?

 

[BPL]

Thank you for those resources, great reads~

So it sounds like the process would then be to rehydrate with sterol flash for 15 mins and then follow the yeast starter protocol. I’ve taken to the process that @BarrelMonkey described, although I hadn’t thought of a water bath to keep the solution from cooling too quickly for smaller amounts. It sounds like once yeast is rehydrated, however, that it’s not necessary to be in a much warmer starter?

No. Fifteen minutes to hydrate, then pitch. GoFerm Sterol Flash DOES NOT START YEAST. Attached is a screen shot p42 from the Scott Labs handbook, another great read.

GoFerm Sterol Flash is a hydration nutrient: https://files.scottlab.com/uploads/GO-FERM STEROL FLASH TDS.pdf

Key points: Use non chlorinated water, Temperature of slurry within 18*F of the must, Correct ratio of GoFerm SF to water and to amount of yeast used.

https://scottlab.com/content/files/documents/handbooks/scott labs 2024 winemaking handbook.pdf

 

[GSMChris]

The Scotts winemaking handbook is a fantastic resource. When teaching new winemaker groups, I hand out copies to the participants and then follow it carefully so they have something to fall back on when they are making their own batches the following year.

 

[David Violante]

Thank you - pages 54-57 were absolutely helpful in understanding the differences among Go-Ferm, Go-Ferm Protect Evolution, and Go-Ferm Sterol Flash.

I read too quickly through the 'it's not a nutrient' and 'it doesn't start yeast' notes above and thought I needed to add rehydration nutrients to this product during rehydration. Which I would not.

Time for more coffee. Maybe some of Bryan's home roasted would help wake up the brain today...

 

[winemaker81]

Thank you - pages 54-57 were absolutely helpful in understanding the differences among Go-Ferm, Go-Ferm Protect Evolution, and Go-Ferm Sterol Flash.

I read too quickly through the 'it's not a nutrient' and 'it doesn't start yeast' notes above and thought I needed to add rehydration nutrients to this product during rehydration. Which I would not.

Barry & I have been discussing things off-line. Next fall I plan to do some testing -- I'd like to divide batches up and use Go-Ferm Sterol Flash in the starter for half the batches, so I can compare the differences. This will end up as a white paper on my site.

One drawback to the Scott's documentation as it's too long. Yes, it takes that much to do a full explanation, but it's too much for most people to digest. I'll end up reading it 3 to 5 times to digest it. A cheat sheet with short step-by-step instructions will help.

 

[GSMChris]

One drawback to the Scott's documentation as it's too long. Yes, it takes that much to do a full explanation, but it's too much for most people to digest. I'll end up reading it 3 to 5 times to digest it. A cheat sheet with short step-by-step instructions will help.

You might want to revisit the manuals - for virtually every task, Scott’s provides a one page protocol on how to do that task. BPL provides an example of yeast hydration with go-ferm flash a couple of posts above. That’s page 42. Page 43 is the same task but with the older go-ferm and go ferm protect products. Pages 44 and 45 are a longer protocol for dealing with stuck fermentation- my personal challenge last year.

 

[BPL]

Barry & I have been discussing things off-line. Next fall I plan to do some testing -- I'd like to divide batches up and use Go-Ferm Sterol Flash in the starter for half the batches, so I can compare the differences. This will end up as a white paper on my site.

One drawback to the Scott's documentation as it's too long. Yes, it takes that much to do a full explanation, but it's too much for most people to digest. I'll end up reading it 3 to 5 times to digest it. A cheat sheet with short step-by-step instructions will help.

FWIW, I was trained in the US Navy to read step 1, then do step 1, etc. Much later I was involved in developing ISO 9000 standards, safety and instrument calibration procedures. My military training was a perfect fit. When I read the protocol's in the Scott Labs handbook, I understand them in theory, but have trouble putting them into practice. Another good one is their stuck fermentation protocol.

Following them is really easy until you start breaking them down into 6 gallon batches or less.

 

[GSMChris]

Interesting - I guess we all have different experiences- for me it’s just simple math. Small batch, large batch - just arithmetic

 

[winemaker81]

Following them is really easy until you start breaking them down into 6 gallon batches or less.

One of the difficulties in home winemaking is that there are 2 segments: home winemaking and commercial winemaking. The big difference is the quantities available.

It's like with grape sales -- many vineyards want to sell in 1 ton quantities, and I can't blame them. It's a lot less effort to well 2,000 lbs of grapes to one person in lieu of selling 100 lbs of grape to 20 people.

With regard to additives, we can buy a small selection of yeast in convenient 5g packets, but a lot of strains are only available in commercial quantities. A lot of other additives, including enzymes and finishing tannins, are often available only in packages that would last me a lifetime.

Interesting - I guess we all have different experiences- for me it’s just simple math. Small batch, large batch - just arithmetic

For most things, I agree with you. However, for some things the amount used in a 23 liter batch is so small that the measurement requires a very fine graduated scale, and are not viable for 4 liter batches.

Beyond that, it is not necessarily the math, it's understanding the process AND trusting the process. Scott Lab docs are good, but their goal is to sell product, so that need to sell is part of every document they publish. As I've noted in the past, there is no one single path through winemaking; there are multiple valid choices, so when any vendor says there's one way to do it, I immediately question it.

I spent decades in IT consulting. My biggest fear wasn't my management or the client's management ... it was my company's salespeople, who would say just about anything to make a sale. In that vein, I don't trust any marketing dept, so I look for 3rd party verification prior to trusting vendor docs.