There are many yeasts available to the modern meadmaker. And each yeast will have its own unique characteristics that impact your mead’s flavor.

Generally, you should choose a mead yeast based on the following properties: alcohol tolerance, fermentation temperature, nutrient requirements, flavor profile, and flocculation tendencies.

In this post we explain these properties, and provide a nifty table highlighting some of the most popular mead yeasts used today.

Alcohol Tolerance

First and foremost, mead is an alcoholic beverage. And you get to decide how much alcohol you want in your finished mead. Maybe you only want a session mead at 6% alcohol. Or maybe you want to push the limits and you want to ferment all the way to 18% or more alcohol. Either way, your decision on yeast type will dictate what your potential alcohol content may be.

Each yeast type will have a potential alcohol range associated with it. When choosing your yeast, make sure you have selected a yeast that will tolerate your planned alcohol content.

It should be noted, yeast are living organisms. As such, they are apt to over- or undershoot the mark from time to time. So use the stated yeast tolerance as a guide, and measure with your trusty hydrometer or refractometer to determine your alcohol content.

Fermentation Temperature

Every yeast strain has a fermentation temperature range where the fermentation outputs are predictable and pleasing to the drinker. Some yeasts, like Lalvin 71b or Fleishmann’s Active Dry Bread Yeast, have wide temperature ranges and are generally forgiving of the temperature of the environment. Other yeasts, most notably Lalvin D47, have very strict limits within which you want to ensure your fermentation stays (in this case, never ferment with D47 above 70 deg F).

Ensure that your fermentation space meets the requirements of your yeast selection, or you may find that you will have to age your mead a considerable amount of time to mellow the off-flavors that developed during fermentation.

Nutrient Requirements

Yeast also require nutrients for a healthy fermentation. While honey is high in sugar, it is generally low in the minerals your yeast require to reproduce and ferment alcohol. Specifically, yeast require a significant amount of nitrogen in addition to trace minerals to support a healthy fermentation. Luckily for you, the meadmaker, this can be readily sourced as Yeast Nutrient or Yeast Energizer from your local homebrew store. You may also see references to Fermaid K, Fermaid O, goFerm, or the base ingredients of diammonium phosphate (DAP), magnesium sulfate, and many other ingredients.

In this post, we will just cover the basics about yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. In the MeadMakr Podcast Episode 4 Show Notes, we provide a few pointers on the various protocols that have been developed to stagger your your nutrients doses.

Yeast Nutrient

Yeast Nutrient is generally a combination of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and food-grade urea. Dose at 1 tsp per gallon of must.

Yeast Energizer

Yeast Energizer includes DAP, magnesium sulfate, yeast hulls, and vitamin B complex. Dose at 1/2 tsp per gallon of must.

Flavor Profile

Each yeast strain imparts its own flavor profile. Maybe you want something that ferments clean with little additional flavors added (such as K1V-1116), maybe you want the esters added from 71b, maybe you want something funky from a Belgian ale yeast, or even brettanomyces for a sour mead. You will want to look into the yeasts available, and consider how they will impact your final flavor.

Autolysis

Another consideration in the yeast flavor profile is how susceptible the yeast is to autolysis. Autolysis is the process of the yeast cell breaking down after fermentation, and depending on the yeast type can result in off flavors. In some cases, such as with D47, sur lie aging adds a pleasing complexity to your mead. Others, like 71b, can ruin a batch completely.

Autolysis is only a problem if you don’t intend to rack your meads on a regular basis. Generally, you have about 3 weeks after sediment forms on the bottom of your fermenter to rack without autolysis. If you are the set it and forget it type, it may be best to search for a yeast with minimal or advantageous autolysis byproducts.

Flocculation

The last general consideration for yeast is its tendency to flocculate. Flocculation refers to the process whereby yeast fall out of suspension when it has finished fermentation. Some yeasts fall out of suspension quickly, others take time or require specific techniques to fine the mead.

Flocculation considerations should not stop you from choosing a yeast, just understand the time to clear may be considerably longer for some yeasts versus others. This can be sped up with forced filtration or the use of fining agents (most notably sparkalloid or bentonite), but both of these methods have the potential to strip flavor from the finished mead, as the yeast is not the only thing removed during the process.

Yeast Table

To help you decide on your yeast, we have provided the following yeast table for you highlighting some of the yeasts most appropriate for a traditional mead recipe. By no means is this list complete, so feel free to experiment with other yeasts you may read about.

And if there is anything you think we blatantly missed, let us know in the comments section or on twitter.

MeadMakr’s Yeast Table

Yeast	Alc Tol	Yeast Description	Temp	Nutr	Floc	Pack
Lalvin 71b	14	For fresh, fruity nouveau wines. Provides good esters for fruity aromas and enhances varietal profiles. Converts malic acid softening flavor. The yeast of choice for both The Colony Meadery and Moonlight Meadery. Be careful with aging on the lees. Yeast is well known for its autolysis profile. Product Description	59-86	Low	Low	Dry
Lalvin ICV D47	14	Isolated from Suze-la-Rousse for the production of fullbodied barrel fermented Chardonnay and other white varietals. When left on lees, ripe, spicy aromas with tropical and citrus notes are developed. Product Description, Data Sheet	50-70	Med-High	Med	Dry
Lalvin DV10	17	DV10 has strong fermentation kinetics over a wide temperature range with relatively low nitrogen demands. It is well known for its ability to ferment under stressful conditions of low pH, high total SO2, and low temperature, and ferments clean respecting varietal character. Product Description	50-85	Low-Med	High	Dry
Lalvin ICV D21	16	ICV D21 was selected for fermenting red wines with stable color, intense fore-mouth, mid-palate tannin structure, and fresh aftertaste. Product Description	60-85	Med	Low	Dry
Lalvin K1V-1116	18	K1-V1116 expresses the freshness of white grape varieties, creating natural fresh fruit aromas that are retained for longer compared to yeasts such as EC-1118. This is a strong ester producer, especially when fermented at low temperatures. Product Description	50-80	Med	Med	Dry
Lalvin EC-1118	18	EC-1118 is the original Prise de Mousse yeast, and creates a clean and neutral flavors. It is well suited to sparklings wines and restarting stuck fermentations. Product Description	50-80	Low	High	Dry
Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast	11-12	The bread yeast that could. This yeast inspired the original Joe’s Ancient Orange Recipe, and has been used in many variants since. Ferments fast, and when balanced with enough sweetness can create a drinkable product relatively quickly. Product Description	55-85	Low	High	Dry
Wyeast 1388	12-13	A classic choice for brewing Belgian strong ales, producing a complex ester profile balanced with subtle phenolics. This is the yeast of choice for the BOMM recipe, allowing one of the quickest finishing meads in only a month. Product Description	64-80	Med	Low	Liq
Alc Tol = Yeast Percent Alcohol by Volume Tolerance, Temp = Fermentation Temperature Range (err on the low side) Nutr = Nutrient Requirements Floc = Tendency to Flocculate Pack = Product Packaging (Dry or Liquid)