WineXpert WE LE 2013 Cab/Merlot Yeast Substitution

[David219]

I decided to try my first yeast substitution in a kit. Based on not much more than some cursory reading and a desire to try something different, I chose to rehydrate 8g of MT in GoFerm Protect and pitched it yesterday evening. I plan to supplement nutrient with Fermaid K at the beginning of activity and 1/3 sugar depletion. Has anyone tried MT yeast with a kit before?


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[David219]

Fermentation is well underway, and that pleasant (to me) yeasty smell is in the air of my winemaking area in my basement.

Yesterday, the morning after the addition of the first dose of the nutrient, I noted quite a bit more foaming than I ever had before in my 7 gallon fermentation bucket. No spillage under the periphery of the lightly placed lid, but the inside of the lid was soiled with foam and oak slivers that came with the kit. The temp had risen to 75 degrees, and the SG was at 1.072. I planned to add another dose of nutrient at 1/3 sugar depletion (roughly 1.060 SG), so I thought I would check back late afternoon/ early evening. I stirred the foam down and replaced the lid.

At 4:30 pm, around 8 hours later, the temperature had risen another couple degrees to 77 and the SG had fallen a bit below my target of 1.060 to 1.050. I debated on making a supplemental nutrient addition, as the fermentation seemed to be perking so well, but as this is my first go at a yeast substitution, I thought it better to err on the side of more nutrient than less, so I added another 6 grams of Fermaid K to the must and stirred it in well.

This morning, the fermentation is visually still going strong. The temperature has fallen back down to 75 degrees. I stirred the must and replaced the lid lightly over the top. After the initial episode of foam generation, the fermentation has proceeded pretty much as it always had with the kit supplied yeasts. No off smells. Maybe a bit more vigorous bubbling than I'm used to seeing.

My plan from here is to snap down the lid with an air lock when the SG reaches 1.010 and allow the fermentation to complete to dry. We'll see how long it takes to get to that point...


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[David219]

Slightly over 4 days since pitching the MT yeast, and the specific gravity has dropped from 1.094 to 1.012. Still fizzing away nicely. Before I turn in for the evening, I'll snap down the lid with an airlock and leave it alone to ferment dry.

So far, so good.


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[Boatboy24]

Sounds like things are moving well. I'm not familiar with MT, but just read about it on MoreWine. It sounds like really good fit.

 

[DoctorCAD]

I think kit juice contains all the necessary nutrients. The excess foaming and strong ferment might be due to overfeeding the yeast. Doubt that it would hurt, though.

 

[sour_grapes]

Yesterday, the morning after the addition of the first dose of the nutrient, I noted quite a bit more foaming than I ever had before in my 7 gallon fermentation bucket. No spillage under the periphery of the lightly placed lid, but the inside of the lid was soiled with foam and oak slivers that came with the kit.

For what it is worth, I also had foam on my lid with this kit and RC212 yeast.

 

[Buehler91]

My WE kits usually list nutrient in the ingredients on the nutritional panel. Can too much nutrient be bad?

 

[Boatboy24]

Can too much nutrient be bad?

In short, yes.

There are a few ways that our wine is able to age without becoming vinegar, or some moldy mess: 1) alcohol levels are high enough so as to discourage the growth of any organisms, 2) sulfites are an added level of protection in addition to the alcohol, 3) there are low levels of nutrients in the wine, so even if some bug were in there, it would starve to death. Using too much nutrient eliminates that third layer of protection. In addition, it can lead to off flavors/aromas.

 

[byathread]

I substitute the yeast on most of my kits. I set my nutrient regime based on the yeasts requirements compared to the included yeast, plus proper rehydration in GoFerm (as surely the manufacturer included the necessary amount of nutrients for their included yeast - see this chart by Lalvin/Lallemand). Sometimes this has meant no additional nutrient with a low nutrient demand yeast, sometimes the full compliment. I have never run into any troubled fermentations or H2S issues (so far). Good luck!

 

[David219]

Thank you for the link to that yeast chart, byathread! The supplied yeast for my kit was EC-1118. I debated on how much nutrient to supplement by substituting MT. The chart confirms MT has a higher nitrogen demand than EC-1118. I don't know if there is a better guide to more accurately quantify the dosage regimen.


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[David219]

I racked, de-gassed, and stabilized my Cab/Merlot blend last night. The MT yeast seemed to do its job well, fermenting down to 0.994 from 1.094. I'll sneak a taste when I next rack after clearing...


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