Fermaid O

[wineview]

Does anyone add any sugar when starting your yeast with Fermaid O?

 

[Jim Welch]

I don’t use Ferm O to “start” yeast, it is a nutrient for yeast during fermentation. Go-Ferm is a rehydration aid that helps maximize yeast rehydration survival and overall health. One does need to provide a sugar source within 15-30 minutes of completion of hydration though. Does that help?

 

[wineview]

I don’t use Ferm O to “start” yeast, it is a nutrient for yeast during fermentation. Go-Ferm is a rehydration aid that helps maximize yeast rehydration survival and overall health. One does need to provide a sugar source within 15-30 minutes of completion of hydration though. Does that help?

My mistake. I meant Go Ferm.

 

[CDrew]

No sugar, but after rehydration with the GoFerm, I will often add some of the grape must to create a starter. Usually by the time the yeast is pitched, the starter is rocking along and gets the main fermentation started very quickly. So in a sense, I am feeding the yeast with grape sugar, but I do not add any table sugar.

 

[wineview]

No sugar, but after rehydration with the GoFerm, I will often add some of the grape must to create a starter. Usually by the time the yeast is pitched, the starter is rocking along and gets the main fermentation started very quickly. So in a sense, I am feeding the yeast with grape sugar, but I do not add any table sugar.

Yes I have done that before. But I am experimenting with Dragons Blood and there really isn’t any must yet. Only sugar water and berries in bags. I make my starters the day be for and pitch in the morning. The reason I posted this question is because FWK has a package labeled yeast starter but it’s actually 55g of table sugar and perhaps some DAP.

 

[Jim Welch]

I too use grape juice as my preferred sugar source but table sugar will work too. I believe the labs that grow these yeasts that we use utilize molasses as the sugar source.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

I always use Go-Ferm to start my yeast. Scott Labs has the definitive protocol IMO.

 

[Bmd2k1]

My mistake. I meant Go Ferm.

when making a yeast starter I use .5tsp GoFerm + 1tsp white sugar + 1c 95/96F water

Cheers!

 

[wineview]

when making a yeast starter I use .5tsp GoFerm + 1tsp white sugar + 1c 95/96F water

Cheers!

That is considerably less than the package recommends.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

I always use Go-Ferm to start my yeast. Scott Labs has the definitive protocol IMO.

I should maybe add that the Scott Labs protocol assumes commercial quantities of yeast: home winemakers will likely use much less. If you're using commercial quantities (say, 500g yeast, 625g Go-Ferm and 12.5L water at 110 F) it will hold that temperature for a long time and cool down slowly. If you're using just 5g yeast for a 5 gal batch of wine, that means 6.25g Go-Ferm in 125mL water at 110 F - but this will cool much more rapidly. So what I typically do for small volume starters is to make a water bath at the required temperature and put my starter vessel in that, so as to keep it warm during the critical first 20 minutes or so when cell division is just getting started.