I am a proponent of the no chemical nutrients unless absolutely necessary senario however I ran in to my first no nutrient snag. It happened when using K1V-1116 Lalvin yeast and just honey and water. (I have been adding some buckwheat honey in both for complexity and because it has more natural nutrients than most other honeys.) However I did not use hard water this time and after the SG going down to 1.030 from 1.100 it slowed to near a stop. (One bubble every 5 minutes for 3 weeks) After recalling a tip I read in Action and Ducan making mead book concerning the need for magnesium which is present in Epsom salt (magnnesium sulfate) I had no epsom salt so I put a pinch of Fermax (which also contains magnesium sulfate along with other nutrients) and it took back off and is now going great. Hard water contains quite a bit of trace elements needed by yeast and prior to this I found it not necessary to use nutrients but when using soft water I now find it most necessary indeed for healthy fermentation. Magnesium may not have been the only thing it needed but all other conditions were constant and my understanding is that the Epsom salt is an old trick to get fermentation going again that is stuck and has been proven in the past to work.
Your comments and other similar experiences welcome.
Joe
Your comments and other similar experiences welcome.
Joe