Yeast energizer - Epsom salt?

[AndyL]

Gotta ask... Been bugging me for days now, and got more so around 3am when not sleeping and decided to have a closer look...

Is yeast energizer just plain old epsom salt?

Looks the same (down to the 100x magnification on the microscope I have) - tastes the same (yes just a pinch - figure they're food grade...).

Google reveals some homebrewers (beer) believe it's epsom + ? but I couldn't see anything else under the scope on 3 different samples from that little 50g bag I bought (for about the price of 3lbs of epsom salt)...

Anyone know the truth?

 

[cpfan]

When I ran an LHBS, each manufacturer seemed to have a slightly different list of ingredients.

Most yeast NUTRIENT is dibasic ammonium phosphate (DAP), but the RJ Spagnols yeast NUTRIENT looked more like everybody else's yeast ENERGIZER. RJS didn't didtribute any yeast energizer (or straight DAP).

Different yeast ENERGIZER packets had different ingredients. One brand did not seemed to be without DAP included. But most had DAP, plus other goodies. Vitamin B and yeast hulls were common.

The following is with the assistance of Yahoo Search. (Which usually works fine at 3am.)

Northern Brewer (LD Carlson) says their yeast ENERGIZER contains "a blend of diammonium phosphate, yeast hulls, magnesium sulphate, and vitamin B complex." EC Kraus is very similar with "Diammonium phosphate, yeast hulls, magnisum sulphate, vitamin B complex, tricalcium phosphate."

Epsom salt appears to be magnesium sulfate in the heptahydrate form.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfate

Truth? What is truth? It looks like they are similar but not the same.

Steve

 

[AndyL]

Yup googled it. Didn't see much answer other than speculation...

So MgSO4 + DAP + vitamin B which is in the nutrient anyway...

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/diammonium-phosphate-4-oz.html

Interesting... Very interesting... Might have to play around a bit and see if I can figure out some ratios in a starter culture.

 

[Mud]

Boiling a cup of baker's yeast with DAP and a pinch of epsom salt is a moonshiner's trick for fermenting straight sugar washes. Works fine. Not sure about taste in a wine, though.

 

[AndyL]

Well if it's already in the energizer - it's not going to change the taste that you'd get using the "yeast energizer" anyway.

This is my scottish & irish blood coming out you see I always question these little packets I buy at ridiculous prices that often are something I can get my hands on in bulk for much less... Just going by those DAP instructions, sounds like a 50/50 mix with epsom salts. Now I'm not a rocket scientist by any means, but I would think yeast hulls would stand out under the microscope; maybe my bag was from a settled supply? And I'm not thinking the hulls would really add much to vitality...

Then again google sets me straight, yeast hulls absorb the fatty acids; often used in "unstucking" fruit wines...

http://www.piwine.com/index.php?pag...ategory_id=87&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=82

Thinking I'll run up the credit card here soon and order in some of the ingredients...