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Mead yeast starter ( DME vs. Honey )
I am making a mead this weekend and want to get my yeast starter up and going soon. I am using the White Labs sweet mead yeast. I was wondering, should I make my starter with the honey I am using for the mead instead of DME? I have been reading that you want to get the yeast acclimated to what you will be using it in. Also, would you guys add yeast nutrients to the starter as well? Thanks for any help!
Here is some info on making a starter for mead........
http://www.cfhb.org/mead/yeast_starter.htm
Thanks, I will try the DME and honey starter and see how it works. Anyone else had experiences making mead starters like this?
i just made a mead the other day. the starter i made started with DME, once the yeast appeared to be no longer active ( the slight amount of bubbles on top of the starter subsided) i added honey. once i pichted the starter it was working quite well after about 12 hours. that so far is the fastest i have had yeast start making some noticable action. good luck with yours.
when i do starters for my mead, i just make the starter with honey and a dash of yeast nutrient, depending on how long you are going to let the starter grow before pitching.
if you are adding acid blends or gypsum or yeast energizers to the recipe, they are not necessary in the starter because you are not looking at a one month or two month fermentation time. the yeast wont need as much assistance to stay healthy sine the starter culture will only last a few days (in my most humblest of opinions).
i also adhere to the adage that it is best to get the yeast feeding in the starteoff of what they will be eating in the must.
One of the recipes in the link that dartgod sent me says use 1 cup honey, 3 cups water, and a handful of chopped raisins. Can anyone tell me what the raisins are for? I was guessing just some extra nutrients? Starters going and is looking great.
i am not 100% sure why one would use raisins in a mead, besides letting the mead mature on it for flavor. i know vinters use raisins sometimes to help impart tannins to the must. i don't believe it is necessary for your starter, but if you like the idea of it, try it in the primary or secondary and see what it tastes like.
basementbrewer wrote:
One of the recipes in the link that dartgod sent me says use 1 cup honey, 3 cups water, and a handful of chopped raisins. Can anyone tell me what the raisins are for? I was guessing just some extra nutrients? Starters going and is looking great.
Yeah, I think you're probably right that the raisins were thrown in there just for extra nutrients. A starter shouldn't contribute much, if any, flavors to your final product (other than the action of the yeast it produces, of course), so I can't imagine they're in there for flavor. I've always heard that honey is naturally low in the nutrients yeast need to survive so you need to add them manually, but if your mead contains any fruit or fruit juices it's probably not necessary. So, you'd probably be fine either way by adding nutrients or raisins.
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