#3: Not giving your yeast the nutrients and oxygen they need to thrive.

Short:

Just like we need the basic resources to survive the yeast also need these things. Specifically
they need oxygen, water and nutrients. The nutrients can come from the honey in part but most yeast
need more than just that. They need yeast nutrient and energizer. You can give them this in a few
different fashions. For example you can give it to them in a staggered nutrient schedule which runs the
duration of the first week of the meads life. You can also include it all in the beginning of the meads
life when you are first putting it together. Or you can add it over time. I would not encourage anyone to
wait a long time before you provide your yeast with the nutrients they need. If they are properly fed
they will have a more successful journey through the fermentation process.
The yeast also need oxygen and they need a lot of it. This is one of the most important things to
provide to the yeast because they use it quickly. Without oxygen the yeast will not be able to complete
the fermentation process. To put oxygen into your must you will need to either shake, stir or aerate the
must using a machine of sorts. The easiest way to do it is by buying an aeration machine, like the one I
have and use which was 20 dollars, and leaving it in your must when you are first creating the mead.
This will allow oxygen to get into the must and therefore allow for the yeast to have that need fulfilled
when added.

Long:

All yeast need nutrients to survive. Just like we need food, water and oxygen to survive, they
too need those basic things. People make the mistake of feeding their yeast too late. If you are adding
your nutrient into the mead weeks and weeks after the fermentation has slowed down often times it's
too late for those yeast to come back. You have to give the yeast their food when you first start the
fermentation and you have to make sure and give enough. Now, there are multiple schools of thought
on this and the different methods do work. You can absolutely add more yeast nutrient into a mead a
couple weeks into it's life. However, you have to time it with the yeasts honey consumption.
The method of “staggered nutrient schedule” works well for providing yeast with their
nutrients. This method means that you add your nutrients over the course of the first weeks of the
meads life. One schedule that many people follow is to do 3 or 4 installments of nutrient. They will
take the necessary amount of ingredients for the mead and break it into 4 parts. From there they will
give the yeast the nutrient on the 2 nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th day. When adding the nutrients you must be careful
to not allow the mead to foam up heavily. Adding the nutrients like this does run the risk of hurting this
yeast if done wrong.
I have tried the staggered method before and I do believe it works. I have also started giving my
yeast their nutrients during their initial hydration period. When I first start hydrating the yeast before I
even put them into the must I will put my nutrients and energizer into the water with them. From what
I've read and heard this allows for the yeast to take the nutrients not just into the surrounding water
around them but also into the cells of the yeast. Ultimately this allows for them to live longer and have
an easier time absorbing and using the nutrients. The yeast will also feed on the nutrients that the honey
itself provides.
The honey itself has quite a few nutrients that the yeast need to survive. However, it doesn't
hold all the properties and without further help from nutrient sources like Fermaid K, GoFerm, raisins
or whatever other source of nutrients they will have a harder time surviving and getting through the full
primary fermentation stage. You don't want your yeast to die too early because they are very hard to
bring back. And ultimately you don't want to pitch more yeast into the mead because you start to lose
the amount of mead you get in return.
The final ingredient that yeast need to survive is oxygen. Without the oxygen the yeast will
never be able to full go through fermentation. They use this oxygen and turn it into C02, which is what
is ultimately coming out of the airlock as it bubbles. You can provide the yeast with oxygen by aerating
the must before you add them into it. This is done by stirring, shaking or using an aerator of sorts.
Some people will use an oxygen tank and oxygen stone to pump it into the must. This is the ideal set up
because pure oxygen is best consumed and used by the yeast. However, if you don't have an oxygen
tank you can buy an aerator and oxygen stone. I have a similar machine that cost me about 20 dollars
and does the same job at a slower pace. The big thing with aerating the must is that you have to be
diligent and patient. It takes awhile to get enough oxygen into the must but without it the full
fermentation will never happen. The yeast use up the oxygen first and they use it rather quickly so
enable your yeast to have as much oxygen as possible!