Lalvin EC-1118: produces SO2, high temperature tolerance. Good choice for mead.
Alcohol Tolerance: 18%
Temp range: 39 - 95°F (7° to 35°C)
Recommended for: apple, crabapple, cranberry, hawthorn, and cherry wines.
The original Prise de Mousse EC1118 is the original and is good for barrel fermentations. It ferments well at low temperatures and flocculates well with very compact lees. EC-1118 produces a lot of SO2 (up to 30 ppm) and as a result can inhibit malolactic fermentation. SO2 is an acidic gas that reacts with water to produce sulphurous acid (a weak acid). SO2 is also used as a preservative in wines and other foods.
This yeast is classified as a Saccharomyces cerevisiae bayanus. Ferments fast and very clean. It may also be used to restart stuck fermentations.
This is the original, steady, low foamer, excellent for barrel fermentation or for working on heavy suspended pulps. It is one of the most popular wine yeasts in the world. It ferments well at low temperatures, flocculates well, and produces very compact lees. It is good for Champagne bases, secondary (bottle) fermentations, restarting stuck fermentations, and for late harvest grapes. It has excellent organoleptic properties and should be in every vinter's refrigerator. It is not, however, tolerant of concurrent malolactic fermentation.
I have used this to make high alcohol dark beers with good results.
Lalvin 71B-1122: use for acid musts, aromatic. Makes awesome mead.
Alcohol Tolerance 13-14%
Temp range: 59 - 86°F (15° to 30°C)
71B is known for making blush and semi-sweet wines with a 'fruit salad' character. Long-lived aromas are due to its production of esters and higher alcohols. It produces a rounder smoother more aromatic wine that tends to mature more quickly. 71B also softens high acid musts by partially (20-40%) metabolizing malic acid, and therefore good for high-malic fruit and berries.
Ferments and ages quickly compared to other mead yeasts. Leaves a nice fruity character to the mead that makes it a great choice for melomels and pyments. However, white wine and light fruit meads are prone to oxidation (the brownish black sediment seen after prolonged storage, usually over 1 yr) unless stabilized (usually with silfites).
The selection was designed to isolate yeasts that would produce a fruity yet fresh character in wine that would live long after fermentation. 71B also has the ability to produce significant esters and higher alcohol, making it an excellent choice for fermenting concentrates.
Used by professionals very often for blush wines and residually sweet wines. It produces a significant amount of fruity esters which makes it great for concentrate wines.
It is noted for producing "fruity" reds such as vin nouveau and works well with high-acid native North American grapes.
Lalvin D47: ok to leave long on lees, prefers cool temps. Makes average mead.
Alcohol Tolerance: 12 - 14%
Temp range: 50° to 86°F (10° to 30°C) best results are obtained at around 20°C
Recommended for: Chardonnay and for rosé style wines, for persimmon, peach, nectarine, paw-paw, and mango, as well as aromatic wines such as rose petal, elderflower, anise and woodruff.
Excellent for: Ginger (brings out aroma)
For complex whites with citrus and floral notes. When left on lees, ripe spicy aromas with tropical and citrus notes are developed. ICV-D47 is a high polysaccharide producer known for its accentuated fruit and great volume and enhances mouth feel due to complex carbohydrates and high polysaccharide production.
This is a low-foaming quick fermenter that settles well and forms compact lees at the end of fermentation. For mead, be sure to supplement with yeast nutrients especially nitrogen.
Leaves a slight white zinfindale character to the mead that some people dislike, but others love. Similiar to the Cotes de Blanc yeast.
Encourages Malo-lactic fermentation.
Lalvin RC212:Not recommended for mead.
Alcohol tolerance (14-16%)
Temperature tolerance (68-86° F.)
Recommended for: non-grape black and red fruit (plums, prickly pear cactus fruit, pomergrantes) and berries (blackberries, raspberries, dewberries, mulberries).
low-foaming moderate-speed fermenter
RC212 consistently produces Pinot noirs with good structure, ripe berry, bright fruit and spicy characteristics.
This yeast requires high nitrogen nutrient additions to avoid the potential development of H2S. It is quite tolerant of concurrent malolactic fermentation.
Pot Distillers yeast 18%
Pot Distillers yeast 18% can ferment fruit brandy, fruit schnapps, grappa, brandy and other mashes to 18% which greatly improves taste after distillation, and gives a better yield. It's a hit with all schnapps distillers. Also, it can sometimes be used to ferment larger batches to 18% alcohol by using one sachet to 50 liters of sugar or fruit mash (half dosage). This is normally impossible with high alcohol Turbos: they ferment violently and produce so much heat early in the process that the yeast dies.
Prestige 8 kg Turbo
While ordinary fast-acting yeast produces 12-13% final alcohol, Prestige 8 kg Turbo Yeast produces 18%, and often 20%
Pasteur Champagne:Pretty good for mead.
Alcohol tolerance 14-16%.
Ferments best at 59-86 deg.F.
All purpose yeast, including for stuck fermentations. Strong fermenter, with high alcohol tolerance. Ferments musts and fruit juices to dryness. Recommended for all white wines, some reds, dry white, mead, port, dry cider and for fruit juices.
Very attenuative. Good reputation. Popular yeast for Imperial Stouts and Barleywines due to it's high tolerance for alcohol. Some use it by itself, others pitch Pasteur after their chosen beer yeast poops out. May need much ageing.
Permier Cuvee : Average for mead.
Alcohol Tolerance 14-16.
Best for Reds, whites, champanges and stuck fermentations. Good tolerance to alcohol and SO2. Ferments to dryness. Low producer of foam. Most neutral, clean flavor offered by Red Star. Certified Kosher.
Wyeast Eau de vie 3347
[230WYE] $6.50
A very good choice for alcohol tolerance and stuck fermentations. Produces a very clean dry profile, low ester and other volatile aromatics. 21% alcohol tolerance. Cordials, Grappa, Barley Wine, Eau de Vie, Single Malts.
Wyeast 3242 Chablis: Honey aroma and flavor are good in mead.
Alcohol tolerance 12-13%.
Ferment at 55-75 deg.F.
Produces extremely fruity profile, high ester formation, bready, vanilla notes. Allows fruit character to dominate aroma and flavor profile. Finishes slightly sweet and soft. Fruity White Wines, Chardonnay, Chablis.
Good for cold stabilization.
Edme ale yeast
Optimum Fermentation Temperature 62.1 °F - 72.0 °F
As long as you don't make the mead with such a high starting gravity that the yeast never get a good start, results are pretty good, and slightly higher-than-normal temperatures don't bother ale yeasts as much as they do other strains. An added benefit is that the mead doesn't need as much aging as mead made with wine or champagne yeasts do, and you can enjoy it earlier.
Floccuation Medium.
Attenuation 75.0 %
Wyeast 3267 Bordeaux: Makes a good mead.
Wyeast 3632 dry mead: makes a good mead.
Danstar Nottingham: Leaves a good honey flavor to mead
Malo-Lactic Culture:
Wyeast liquid malo-lactic culture: Softens wines by converting harsh malic acid to lactic acid. When you use this liquid malo-lactic culture your wine will balance becoming smoother and softer. Hints of vanilla and rich buttery notes come alive to anhance the flavor and quality of your wine. 125ml good for 5 gallons
What is flocculation?
Flocculation refers to the clumping of yeast cells at the end of fermentation. Strains are separated into three main degrees of flocculation- High, Medium, and Low. An example of a highly flocculent strain would be a English Ale yeast, which will settle at the bottom of the fermentation tank. An example of a low flocculent strain would be a Hefeweizen yeast.
Campden
Campden, available in tablet form, is used to kill all the naturally occurring wild yeasts and undesirable bacteria in must, and thus prepare it for a "clean" fermentation. It contains potassium metabisulfite, which is a fancy term for sulfites.
Use: Use one Campden tablet per gallon of must. Crush tablets well, then mix in with the must. Be sure to add it to must 24 hours before pitching your wine yeast; if you are impatient and pitch the yeast too soon, the campden will kill it too! Campden can also be used to make a sanitizing solution for winemaking equipment; see our winemaking sanitation page for details. Each tablet contains 0.50 - 0.55 grams of potassium metabisulfite; chemically speaking, each tablet contains 57% sulphur content; therefore, 1 tablet per gallon = 75 ppm SO2. But alkaline solution decreases amt of free sulphur, and acid sol increases it.
Lalvin EC yeast goes well with campden. As it is a natural producer of SO2, it tolerates campden better.
Yeast are single cell organisms classified as fungi. They lack chlorophyll, and so cannot produce their own food like green plants do. Therefore they rely on external sources of food, and under the right conditions, metabolize sugars in fermentation, producing carbon dioxide and ethanol. Fermentation depends on enzymes, which are proteins. Enzymes regulate reactions without being used up and are active at very low concentrations. As proteins, enzymes are permanently destroyed by high heat, and temporarily inactivated by cold but become active again when the temperature rises to normal. Yeast emzymes inclued diastase (breaks down starch), invertase (changes one form of sugar to another), and zymase (breaks down sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide).
The temperature of the water during rehydration is important when working with dry yeast. When yeast is dried, the cell membrane becomes more porous. During rehydration, the membrane recovers. However, in the process of rehydration, some cell constituents are dissolved in the water used. The optimum water temperature for cell membrane restoration is 104º F. Warm water is effective in this process, because it leads to more rapid cell membrane recovery. Cold water impedes this process, because it slows membrane recovery and allows more cell constituents to leach out during the reconstitution process. The effect is not that great between 70º and 100º F, but at lower temperatures approximately one-quarter to one-half of soluble yeast cell constituents can be lost. This leaching action effects yeast activity in the following manner: Most yeast enzymes remain, but the soluble chemicals are depleted, and it is these chemicals that promote enzyme activity.
Yeast exhibits a considerable tolerance to extremes of pH, being able to maintain an active fermentation in a 5% glucose solution in the pH range of 2.4 to 7.4, but ceasing activity at pH 2.0 or pH 8.0. For optimum results, good practice dictates that the pH of the fermenting medium be maintained within the range of about 4.0 to 6. A drop of more than 50% in fermentative activity has been observed at pH 3.5. More gradual declines in yeast activity were encountered at higher pH levels, with measurable effects showing up at pH values over 6.0.
The explanation for the yeast's ability to maintain a relatively constant activity over a 100-fold change in hydrogen ion concentration (pH 4 to 6) is found in the fact that the pH of the cell interior of the yeast remains quite constant at about pH 5.8, regardless of any relatively wide pH variations in the fermenting medium. The enzymes involved in fermentation thus operate in an optimum pH environment within the yeast cell that is largely unaffected by external changes in pH.