Yeast Strains

One of the most popular mead strains worldwide. Lalvin 71B was originally selected for fruity red wines and rosés but its partial malo-lactic activity (it metabolises some malic acid) makes it exceptionally valuable for fruit meads where sharp acid character is unwanted. Partially degrades malic acid — softens sharp fruit musts. With a 14% ABV limit, it's vital to plan gravity accordingly. It produces stable fruity and floral esters that survive well through conditioning. The 14% ABV ceiling is the key constraint — if your target gravity puts you above this, switch to EC-1118 or K1-V1116. Nitrogen demand is low, making it forgiving under TOSCA 2.0.

Lalvin EC-1118 (also sold as Prise de Mousse) is the world's most widely used sparkling wine yeast and a meadmaking staple. Its exceptional tolerance to alcohol (18%), cold temperatures, and nutrient stress makes it a good solution when fermentation conditions are challenging as with high-gravity batches, manuka honey (whose Methylglyoxal compounds inhibit other strains), or stuck fermentation needing a restart. The trade-off is flavour neutrality: EC-1118 will get the job done but won't add much of its own character. For traditional meads where the honey should shine, this is often exactly what you want. For melomels where yeast-derived fruitiness is desirable, consider 71B instead. It has a low nitrogen demand and a short lag phase, making it a fast fermenter.

K1-V1116 is one of the few commercially available strains with confirmed fructophilic character, meaning it is capable of enhanced fructose conversion. This makes it a strong choice for high-fructose honey varieties like acacia, tupelo, lavender, sage, where other strains can stall at the 1/3 sugar break. Beyond the fructophilic advantage, K1-V1116 is a high ester producer , generating significant isoamyl acetate (banana/pear) and other fruity/floral esters. This can enhance or overwhelm a mead depending on the style — it suits aromatic traditional meads and melomels, less so subtler varieties. It has a low nitrogen demand and broad temperature tolerance so is versatile but low flocculation means the mead will be slow to clear naturally — bentonite or other fining at the end of fermentation is advisable.

Lalvin ICV-D47 is a perennial favourite for traditional and country-style meads. Its high polysaccharide production gives the finished mead a full, round mouthfeel that improves with aging, and it develops pleasant citrus, stone fruit, and spice complexity. We love the results from an aged, conditioned D47 mead here at Wyvern. The main constraint is temperature: it must be kept in its tolerance range or it produces excessive fusel alcohols (a hot, harsh character that takes years to age out). It is best kept in the 15–18°C range throughout fermentation, which can be challenging without temperature control. Consider a cool cellar or a fermentation chiller, even wet towels in primary. Definietly don't use in summer without temperature management. High flocculation means it drops clear naturally which gives a significant practical advantage, especially for beginners. The 15% ABV ceiling will yeild a satisfying and robust mead, and we have had great results step feeding beyond its OG tolernace to get a conditioned sweet mead.

QA23 produces an enzyme (β-glucosidase) that releases floral aromas locked inside honey, making it one of the best choices for showcasing delicate or aromatic varieties. In mead, this translates to enhanced floral and citrus complexity, particularly with aromatic honey varieties like lavender, orange blossom and linde). Its very low nutrient and oxygen requirements make it a good choice for minimalist fermentation protocols or where aeration is difficult, but that does not mean these can be avoided altogether. It yeilds a clean, fast fermentation to dryness. Worth considering for aromatic traditional and country meads.

A French bayanus strain selected for sparkling wine, DV10 is a strong, reliable fermenter known for exceptionally low hydrogen sulphide and volatile acidity production — two common off-flavour risks in mead. Coming from the same subspeicies, it shares EC-1118's high ABV tolerance and wide temperature range but is slightly less neutral in character, preserving more character from the honey. It makes a good alternative to EC-1118 when you want reliability without complete flavour neutrality.

BC-S103 is Fermentis's mead-focused strain and its dry format makes it easy to source, store, and pitch. It is discussed extensively in the r/mead community as a K1-V1116 equivalent for acacia and tupelo batches, we have yet to try it here at Wyvern. A 18% ABV tolerance and low nitrogen demand will make it operationally similar to EC-1118 while offering a fructose fermentation advantage. If you are making a high-fructose honey mead and prefer a dry yeast, this is the strain to reach for A good choice if the plan is for a high fructose mead.

Wyeast 4184 is designed to produce naturally sweet mead by stopping fermentation around 11% ABV, leaving residual fermentable sugars without requiring sulfite/sorbate stabilisation or cold crashing. We have had great results with this strain, and as a liquid it's pretty easy to deploy. It is good for brewers who want an accessible semi-sweet or sweet result without post-fermentation intervention. The constraints are significant: an 11% ABV ceiling means you must calculate gravity carefully, so aim for a lower OG than typical dry meads. The high nitrogen demand requires full TOSCA 2.0 or equivalent nutrient management to avoid stuck fermentation or off-flavours. As a liquid yeast it requires refrigerated storage and use within an expiry date.

Another Wyvern staple, Wyeast 4632 is a purpose-built mead strain and a decent all-rounder. "Dry" in the name refers to its high ABV tolerance: it is actually a liquid yeast and like most WYeast products comes with an activation nutrient packet in the bag. It ferments cleanly to 18% ABV, similar to EC-1118, but has a slightly warmer character with subtle fruit notes, it does the job effciently and lets the honey character speak. A medium nitrogen demand means standard TOSCA 2.0 or TOSNA scheduling should be applied. This is a solid choice for traditional dry meads when you want a mead-specific strain rather than a repurposed sparkling wine yeast.

WLP715 is White Labs's classic Champagne strain is neautral and ferments to a very dry finish (70–90% attenuation), tolerates up to 17% ABV, and produces minimal esters or flavour compounds of its own. Low flocculation means it stays in suspension, which is positive for sparkling mead as there will be less sediment after secondary carbonation. It will require fining if you want a clear still mead. The narrow recommended temperature range (21–24°C) is somewhat narrow and if breached, fermentation may be sluggish.

WLP720 is White Labs's dedicated sweet mead and wine yeast. Unlike WLP715 which ferments to dryness, WLP720 is selected to leave more residual sweetness, making it more appropriate for semi-sweet and sweet mead styles without requiring full gravity calculations around an ABV wall. It tolerates up to 15% ABV and produces a slightly fruity, soft character that complements floral honey varieties. The practical caveat is that "more residual sweetness" may not be precisely controllable and final gravity will depend on must composition, nutrient availability, and fermentation management. For a reliably sweet result, monitor gravity and be prepared to cold crash or stabilise if needed.

Mangrove Jack's M05 is a dry yeast purpose-built for mead production and one of the most accessible strains for home meadmakers, being available at most homebrew retailers. We have had great results with this strain, brewing some fantastic dry trads and melomels.It has a wide operating temperature range (15–30°C), reliable fermentation to 18% ABV, and produces a clean, fruity, floral character well-suited to traditional and fruit meads. A medium nitrogen demand invites a standard TOSCA 2.0 scheduling. A good choice for new meadmakers and a solid default when liquid yeast isn't available. Comparable to Wyeast 4632 in role and character.

UVAFERM 43 (and its variant UVAFERM 43 RESTART) has been selected by Scott Labs for the HXT3 gene that empowers fructophilic character. It was specifically selected for use in high-maturity grapes where fructose concentration exceeds glucose, which is exactly the same challenge presented by acacia and tupelo honeys. Standard yeast strains prefer glucose and they'll consume it first, then slow down when they hit the fructose-heavy remainder. In a high-fructose must, this can cause a stuck or sluggish fermentation in the final stretch, even when there's still plenty of sugar left. For stuck fermentation restarts in high-fructose batches, Lallemand offer UVAFERM 43 RESTART (a pre-acclimatised version that is prepared for the immediate use in the hostile environment of a high alcohol, high sugar, stressed must). It has a low nitrogen demand and clean neutral character. Probably less widely available in homebrew retail than Lalvin strains but should be accessible through winemaking suppliers.

WLP099 is the one for extreme meads like high-gravity sacks (OG 1.150+), bochet-style caramelised meads, or any batch where you want to push ABV well beyond the 18% ceiling of most strains as it is rated to 25% ABV. It produces increasing ester complexity as gravity rises, which can add to or complicate the character of the mead depending on style. This requires careful, staged nutrient additions and should not be underpitched. It's not appropriate for the typical 12–15% ABV traditional meads where its flavour contributions would be out of place, but which work nicely with a high booze content. Note: the calculator caps this strain at 22% ABV — the manufacturer rating of 25% is achievable only with advanced step-feeding protocols beyond the scope of a standard TOSCA 2.0 schedule.

For braggots (meads brewed with malt and/or hops) Belgian ale strains add a layer of complexity without dominating. Wyeast 1388 is a POF+ strain — meaning it naturally produces phenolic compounds, specifically the clove-like spice character associated with Belgian ales — alongside a fruity ester profile. In a braggot, where malt and hops can absorb and complement that complexity, this can work well. In a lighter braggot or one with delicate honey character it may intrude. ABV ceiling of 12% means braggots using this strain should target relatively lower gravity. Outside braggot, the phenolic character would be unwelcome in almost any other mead style

WLP775 as a cider is a natural choice for cysers (apple and honey blended meads). It is selected to ferment apple sugars dry while retaining the apple fruit character, a combination that is harder to achieve with neutral wine strains. When used in a cyser, the apple aroma should survive fermentation better than with more neutral strains. A high attenuation (80–100%) means it will finish very dry so adjust the honey/apple ratio towrds the honey's favour if a semi-sweet cyser is the goal.

Kveik strains are traditional Norwegian farmhouse yeasts and are becoming a huge talking point in meadmaking: they ferment fast at temperatures that would stress or kill any other strain (up to 40°C in the case of Voss) so a mead that would take 4–6 weeks with EC-1118 can complete primary fermentation in 5–7 days with Voss Kveik at 35°C. The orange and citrus ester character it produces at high temperatures is distinctive — welcome in bochet and braggot styles, potentially intrusive in delicate florals. At lower temperatures (below 25°C) the esters are suppressed and character becomes cleaner, but the speed advantage largely disappears. This makes it an interesting specialist tool rather than a general-purpose mead strain.