# yeast quantity



## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

It's theoretically possible to overpitch, but I doubt a 7-gram packet would do it to a gallon. Most home fermenters dramatically underpitch, counting on yeast's fecundity to build up which works fine much of the time. That said, dry yeast has HUGE cell numbers (in part to account for loss of viability), so you certainly could split a sachet in two without worrying about underpitching at all.

Make sure you're rehydrating properly (in warm water, not in must or juice), and you'll see a FAST vigorous ferment with a large pitch, so make sure you have adequate headspace.


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## nursebee (Sep 29, 2003)

Have you ever noticed when pitching yeast that it does not start to ferment for a while? That is because it takes a while for the yeast to replicate enough to handle things noticeably. Starter cultures speed this process up, as does adding more dried yeast.

The same is true with bread. A TB is enough, but when in a hurry we had 2.


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## plaztikjezuz (Apr 22, 2010)

Ben Brewcat said:


> It's theoretically possible to overpitch, but I doubt a 7-gram packet would do it to a gallon. Most home fermenters dramatically underpitch, counting on yeast's fecundity to build up which works fine much of the time. That said, dry yeast has HUGE cell numbers (in part to account for loss of viability), so you certainly could split a sachet in two without worrying about underpitching at all.
> 
> Make sure you're rehydrating properly (in warm water, not in must or juice), and you'll see a FAST vigorous ferment with a large pitch, so make sure you have adequate headspace.


one thing you do need to watch out for when pitching the proper amounts of yeast is having enough nutrient for the yeast in the must. not having the correct amount can lead to off flavors and aromas (like sulfur). more yeast will need more nutrient. yeast that generally do this are labeled in their characteristics as having a "high nitrogen demand". montrochet from red star has gotten me both times, before i realized what happened, it can be fixed but why make more work for yourself when a little insurance will suffice?

i mention this because i have never had a problem with 5 grams of wine yeast or 11 grams of brewers yeast in 5 gallon batch, but i have had 5 grams of wine yeast sulfur up 1 gallon of mead on two different occasions sulfur up the batch. generally i use 10 grams of wine yeast and 22 grams of brewers yeast for meads 1.090+ for 5 gallons.

more yeast needs more nutrient, less must equaled less over all nutrient, for an elevated cell count of yeast.

this is very easy to avoid. you have to stir mead daily, take a whiff, if you smell an unusual* amount of off aromas. then add more yeast nutrient and or energizer. 

you can also do the ken schramm method of feeding the yeast by splitting the over all amount of nutrient up into 3 equal doses and giving it to the mead for the first 3 days of fermentation while you aerate. I always do this with big meads, while controlling the fermentation temperature and can usually drink within 6 months. (ken schramm; the compleat meadmaker)

*yes i do realize that it is actively fermenting and already smells weird.


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