Choosing a yeast for your mead is almost as important as choosing the honey? Consult the table below for ideas on what type to pick.
Both Red Star and Lalvin are dehydrated and will need to be reconstituted.
| YEAST NAME | ALC TTL | SPECIALITY | SPECIAL NEEDS/NOTES | TEMP (F) |
|
RED STAR |
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| Pasteur Champagne | 13-15% | All Whites & fruit juices. Restarts stuck ferments. Good for show meads. | Not commonly used for sparkling wine. Extended aging in meads. Flocculent. | 59-860 |
| Cote des Blancs (Geisenheim Epernay) | 12-14% | Accents fruity aromas. Non-grape fruit wines & varietal honeys. Great for apple, whites. | Slow fermenter, needs nutrients (nitrogen). Not cold weather (less alc if fermented cool). | 64-860 |
| Montrachet | 13% | Strong fermenter – grape & other fruits to dryness. Color good and low acid volatility. Complex big, dry wines. Good for melomels with big mouth feel – preserves color. | No sulfur on grapes or other sugars (e.g., molasses). Trouble with high gravity musts. | ?? |
| Pasteur Red/ French Red | ?? | Full bodied reds & big melomels. Helps out fruit flavors. | Best at lower temperature range – ferments hot. | 64-860 |
| Premier Cuvee | 18% | Reds, whites, sparkling wine. Neutral profile. Good for champagne & high original gravity musts. | Fastest & cleanest fermenter. Low temps ok. Restarts stuck ferments. | 45-950 |
| Steinberg | ?? | German yeast used in whites with high residual sugar & acidity. Great for traditional metheglins or pyments with big fruity aromas & mouthfeels. | Emphasizes tropical fruit esters. | ?? |
|
LALVIN |
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| 71B-1122:Narbonne | 14% | Excellent for fermenting concentrates, blush, & residual sugar whites. Perfect for big, dark fruit (e.g., cherries, raspberries). Enhances fruity & fresh character. | Rapid, constant fermentation. Softens wine & matures quickly. Reduces acidity. | 59-860 |
| ICV-D-47: Cotes du Rhone | 12-14% | Flocculent, quick fermenter. Excellent for whites & mead. Best for medium to dry meads. | Needs supplements (nitrogen) | 50-860 |
| EC-1118: Prise de Mousse | 18% | Reds, whites, sparkling wine. Leaves a strong yeast profile – some say neutral flavor & aroma.?. Good for champagne & high original gravity musts. | Fastest & cleanest fermenter. Low temps ok. Restarts stuck ferments. | 45-950 |
| K1V-1116:Montpellier | 16-18% | Rapid, constant, complete fermentation. Adapts to difficult conditions. Good white wine & light fruit yeast. Good for unbalanced concentrates. | “Killer,” competitive yeast strain – very clean. High nitrogen requirements. | 59-860 |
| R2: Sauternes | 12-16% | French white wines, liberates fruity & floral aromas. Good for intensely aromatic honeys w/ residual sweetness. | Can ferment as low as 400. Needs nutrients. | 50-860 |
|
BOTH |
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| Epernay DV10 | 16-18% | Champagne yeast used for whites, meads, ciders and some reds. Smooth, no edgy, bitter flavors. | Handles low pH & other stressors well. Clean, fast fermenter. | 50-950 |
|
NEITHER |
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| Rudisheimer: Wyeast 3783 | 11-14% | Traditional Riesling yeast. Fruity, aromatic wines w/ balance of sweet, acid, & fruity in finish. Excellent for traditional meads or white wine pyments. | n/a | ?? |
MonkeyBoyMead 