More Yeast

One packet is suppose to be good for up to 5 gallons, yet is okay to use for less (1 gallon?). So, use more, cant hurt, right? Cost is not important, hell the sugar cost more, so why not.

I was not happy with the fermentation activity in my primary and added another yeast packet, and today moved it to the carboy. Wow! The activity is awesome. So, I'm thinking, use more, 2x or 3x or...

This seems like a no brainer. What am I not understanding?

montanaWineGuy said:

This seems like a no brainer. What am I not understanding?

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Is there a particular reason you want it to ferment very quickly?

By the way, due to the mathematics of population growth (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_function), doubling the initial amount of yeast will not halve the amount of time it will take to complete fermentation. It will reduce it, but not in proportion to the amount of yeast you add to begin with.

montanaWineGuy said:

One packet is suppose to be good for up to 5 gallons, yet is okay to use for less (1 gallon?). So, use more, cant hurt, right? Cost is not important, hell the sugar cost more, so why not.

I was not happy with the fermentation activity in my primary and added another yeast packet, and today moved it to the carboy. Wow! The activity is awesome. So, I'm thinking, use more, 2x or 3x or...

This seems like a no brainer. What am I not understanding?

Click to expand...

Need more information -

Did you add sulfite prior to adding your yeast ?

how did you activate your yeast ?

What temperature was your must at ?

Ph level ?

Not to ask soo many questions - but there is alot that applies to this question

Possible downside, blowing the bung. Got real frothy last night and I had to draw some out and give it more head space.

to VPM
Camden tablets 24 hours before yeast
Just tossed in the yeast
Same temp as outside. 40s at night, high 70s during the day
Ph Level, I've no idea

The heightened activity gives me a good feeling. Something is happening. Something good I hope.

Why not go with an open fermentation? Blowing the bung will not be an issue then..

I am under the impression that the slower the fermentation the more flavor you/--True or False?

Ernest T Bass said:

I am under the impression that the slower the fermentation the more flavor you/--True or False?

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Maybe. More fruit more flavor for sure.

The batch that I did the Yeast 2x, is starting to slow down, and in about 1/2 the time of the same size batch with only 1 yeast package. So far I think this is the way to do it.

I always use a full packet of yeast whether I make 1 gal., 2 gal. or 5 gal.

Like stated by others, finish up your fermentation in a bucket-type primary. When you move it to a carboy, fermentation should be in it's final stage, or very close to it.

montanaWineGuy said:

Maybe. More fruit more flavor for sure.

The batch that I did the Yeast 2x, is starting to slow down, and in about 1/2 the time of the same size batch with only 1 yeast package. So far I think this is the way to do it.

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What are the pros/cons for you? The only benefit I'm seeing is a couple fewer days of fermentation. The cons seem to be a potential loss of flavor and the price of a pack of yeast. In the grand scheme of things, a couple extra days in the bucket is not worth the risk of the potential loss of flavor.

Are you under a tight deadline to get the wine finished for some reason?

Extra yeast, more then I can use, has an expiration date, I recently noticed. Use it or toss it in about a year.

I actually do have a window. Brutal winter, with limited area to work when the snow piles up. Better to be in bottles, with alcohol then in big bulky carboys.

Last year I was bottling in Dec, in the garage freezing.

But really its about experimenting.

I don't know of any cons in doubling the yeast packets used in a 6 gallon carboy.

montanaWineGuy said:

One packet is suppose to be good for up to 5 gallons, yet is okay to use for less (1 gallon?). So, use more, cant hurt, right? Cost is not important, hell the sugar cost more, so why not.

I was not happy with the fermentation activity in my primary and added another yeast packet, and today moved it to the carboy. Wow! The activity is awesome. So, I'm thinking, use more, 2x or 3x or...

This seems like a no brainer. What am I not understanding?

Click to expand...

You will see much more fermentation "action" in a carboy than you will in an open fermentation bucket. This is because you have the CO2 being funneled into a much smaller surface area. If you had simply moved your must from the bucket to the carboy without adding any more yeast you would have seen more "activity" and foaming in that instance as well. Yeast is a living organism that replicates at an exponential rate until the yeast colony is at the optimum size for the environment they are in - using more packets of yeast just give you a larger starting point of initial yeast cells - it does not change how many can live in the environment of your must. Temperature, amount of sugar, pH, proper nutrients, oxygen % at the beginning - all have more to do with the vigor of your fermentation than the number of yeast packets.

JDC said:

Yeast is a living organism that replicates at an exponential rate until the yeast colony is at the optimum size for the environment they are in - using more packets of yeast just give you a larger starting point of initial yeast cells - it does not change how many can live in the environment of your must. Temperature, amount of sugar, pH, proper nutrients, oxygen % at the beginning - all have more to do with the vigor of your fermentation than the number of yeast packets.

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I was going to ask this question in a separate post but this thread does seem to be related. The packet of yeast I have is good for 5 gallons but, since it just reproduces and feeds on the sugar anyway, why not 10 gallons? Up to a point
(say, for instance, one packet for 100 gallons) the only downside I can see is that it would take a bit longer. Am I wrong on this?

No, I don't think you are wrong, but you did put your finger on problem. It will indeed take longer. If it takes too long, other spoilage microbes can get a foothold before the yeast.

Sour is correct, the downside to using a small amount of yeast is that an undesired strain ( or a spoilage one) will take over before the yeast you want can take hold. The strongest yeast will dominate. Sometimes more is introduced in insure that a native strain does not dominate. Vineyards often throw the lees on or around the vines, both for fertilizer and to introduce their preferred yeast strain on the grapes. If using fresh grapes in most cases there is already wine producing bacteria already on your fruit, you can ferment on that if you want, the results may be unpredictable though.

Great information, thank you