Best yeast energizer for beer brewing

How to Fix a Stalled Fermentation A Guide to Using Yeast Energizer

Yeast is the 'live' part of a good beer. It's a living organism and just like your friends, you gotta treat them right. If the yeast is going to turn your wort's sugars into alcohol, it's going to need a nice home where it feels comfortable. When that home isn't perfect, fermentation can slow down or stop altogether—a dreaded "stalled fermentation."

If you think your yeast might need a helping hand either at the beginning of a high-gravity brew or due to a stall, then a 'yeast energizer' might just be the extra ingredient you'll need to add to your brew day shopping list.

⚡What is Yeast Energizer?

Key Takeaway:A Rescue & Revival Kit for Yeast

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At its most basic description, a yeast energizer serves two purposes: it's used to stimulate fermentation from the start or to restart a stalled one. The effect is more efficient fermentation, which can mean a faster time to completion and a better chance of hitting your target final gravity.

Energizers typically contain a blend of key ingredients:

• Diammonium Phosphate (DAP): A critical source of nitrogen for yeast health.
• Yeast Hulls: The cell walls of dead yeast, which provide fatty acids and sterols that help living yeast build strong cell walls, especially in high-alcohol environments.
• Vitamins & Minerals: Includes things like Vitamin B, magnesium sulphate, and tricalcium phosphate, which act as co-factors for yeast metabolism.

🤔Energizer vs. Nutrient

Key Takeaway:Nutrient is for Growth, Energizer is for Rescue

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A yeast nutrient is somewhat different from an energizer. Think of yeast nutrient as the daily "vitamins and minerals" to help yeast grow healthy and strong from the beginning. A yeast energizer, with its inclusion of yeast hulls and other components, is more like a catalyst or an emergency rescue kit designed to kick-start a sluggish or completely stuck fermentation back into gear.

🛒Recommended Brands

Key Takeaway:Popular Choices for Brewers

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Yeast Energizer Brand	Pros	Cons
LD Carlson Energizer	Contains essential nutrients like vitamins, amino acids, and minerals that help yeast thrive and ferment vigorously. Suitable for stuck fermentations.	More expensive than basic yeast nutrients, which might deter hobbyists or casual brewers.
Wyeast Nutrient Blend	Specially formulated to improve yeast activity and fermentation efficiency. Perfect for high-gravity beers.	Requires precise dosage; too much can lead to off-flavors, making precise measurement crucial.
Fermaid K by Lallemand	Offers a balanced blend of nutrients that supports yeast health and promotes consistent fermentation, recommended for wines and meads.	Not specifically tailored for beers, which might limit its appeal to beer brewers.
Brewcraft Yeast Fuel	Easy to use with a simple dosing system, enhances fermentation speed and completeness. Ideal for novice brewers.	Limited availability in some regions, which can make it difficult to source consistently.
White Labs Servomyces	Improves yeast sedimentation and increases cell viability. It's also known to reduce diacetyl and fusel alcohol production.	Premium priced product, reflecting its specialized application and high efficiency.

⏰When Should I Add It?

Key Takeaway:At the Start or When Fermentation Stalls

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At the Beginning of the Brew

If you are brewing a high-gravity beer, a fruit-heavy wine, or a nutrient-poor mead, adding energizer upfront provides the yeast with the resources they need to handle the stressful conditions. For an all-grain boil, it can be added in the last 10-15 minutes. If using a malt kit, you can pitch it at the same time as the yeast.

When You Have a Stuck Fermentation

If you are hugely confident that your fermentation hasn't completed (i.e., your hydrometer reading is stable but much higher than expected), then you may have a stalled fermentation. Before adding energizer, first ensure your fermenter is at a proper temperature (18-22°C / 65-72°F). If it's too cold, the yeast may just be dormant. If the temperature is fine, an energizer can help restart the process.

🧑‍🔬How Much Energizer Do I Use?

Key Takeaway:A Little Goes a Long Way

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A little goes a long way. The standard dosage is approximately **1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon** of wort or must. For a typical 5-gallon batch, this means about 1 to 2.5 teaspoons total. To add it to a stuck fermentation, dissolve the energizer in a small amount of warm, sanitized water, then gently stir it into your fermenter. Always check the instructions on the package, as dosages can vary slightly between brands.

👅Does It Affect Beer Taste?

Key Takeaway:Not Directly, But It Prevents Off-Flavors

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There is a bit of debate amongst brewers about the effect an energizer can have on taste, but it seems to be fairly negligible if there is one. More importantly, it helps prevent off-flavors. Yeast energizers have been demonstrated to help reduce fusel alcohols (the "burning" sensation) and hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg smell), which are produced by stressed yeast.

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How to use yeast nutrient for beer brewing

Yeast, that magnificent beast of an organism that converts sugars to alcohol, is the key to fermentation 

Fermentation itself is a fairly straightforward process but there are a lot of variables at play to ensure that you get a good tasting beer, let alone a brew that tastes like you intended!

Temperature, time, pH levels and oxygen are key factors.

An overlooked one is often yeast nutrition.

Does your beer yeast need nutrients? 

The malt in your beer is usually enough to sustain the yeast cells but in order to thrive (and thus efficiently ferment your beer wort and achieve a high attenuation) other elements such as levels of free amino nitrogen, fatty acids, and even vitamins and other minerals come into play and become factors in a successful brew. 

The truth is though, you could do a hundred brews and never need it but if you a looking for high attenuation rates (how much sugar is consumed by the yeast) or a brewing a beer with a high ABV, it may help as you need a strong yeast to achieve those two goals.  

When should I use a yeast nutrient?

You may also consider using a nutrient if your water is lacking in calcium, magnesium, and zinc as these metals. 

Zinc can help with the cell count while magnesium helps with cellular metabolism.

If your beer is using a high proportion of 'adjuncts', you'll want to consider supporting the yeast too. Sugar alone does not support the yeast so if there's a higher concentration of sugars in your beer, then a nutrient may assist yeast development. 

If you are making wine or cider or mead, you would be more likely to use nutrients as there is less for the yeast to make do with than in the malty beer wort. Honey, for instance, contains no nitrogen.

To cover some of these factors off, many home brewers choose to add yeast nutrient to their beer batch.

The other benefits of adding a yeast 'energizer' include the shortening of the 'lag phase' of fermentation can contribute to a reduction in off-flavours in beer or wine.

Yeast food may also help reduce the final gravity by invigorating the yeast pushing it to a more complete fermentation leading to a reduction of diacetyl or acetaldehyde (that apple flavour). 

There are three modes of yeast nutrition:

• Nitrogen supplements -  usually in the form of di-ammonium phosphate which is a water-soluble salt and or urea, this should be used when there's a lack of free amino nitrogen. Can be used for mead, cider, wine, and beer. Fermax and Fermaid are popular brands used by brewers as it contains the phosphate as well as magnesium sulfate and autolyzed yeast
• Yeast hulls - dead yeast of which the residue acts as a home for live yeast. Live yeast will eat the hulls and feed on the nutrients contained therein. 
• Yeast energizers are used to stimulate or restart a stalled fermentation.

Can I add yeast nutrients to my starter?

You sure can. Brewers will often add about a quarter teaspoon to their starters.

Bread bakers have been known to add it to their sourdough starters!

When should I add yeast nutrients to my brew?

It should usually be added at the start of fermentation. If you are using an energizer you will most likely be adding it when fermentation has failed or halted. 

How much yeast nutrient should I add?

Manufacturers typically recommend 1 gram per litre or 1 teaspoon for 5 litres/1 gallon. There should be instructions on the packaging.

What are Servomyces?

This is a yeast supplement produced by the famed yeast developer, White Labs. They boast that 

"Servomyces enables any yeast strain’s ability to incorporate essential nutrients into its cellular structure. It is propagated in a micronutrient rich environment and then killed off prior to packaging.  

Boiling incorporates the servomyces into the wort. The benefit of servomyces is that micronutrients, e.g., zinc are able to pass through its cell walls to your live cell yeast cell, thereby delivering the micronutrients without toxicity."

Check out what White Labs have to offer on Amazon.

So if your beer batch is short of zinc, then using Servomyces may be the right option for you. If you are doing a boil, it is recommended you add one capsule ten minutes prior to the end of the boil. If doing a kit brew, you can open the capsule up and add the Servomyces directly to the wort. 

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