Free tools for winemakers
Yeast pitch calculator
Pitch rate — yeast for fermentation
Add
Type the volume you are treating.
Type a sugar reading to get a suggested rate.
125% (1.25 g of nutrient per 1 g of yeast) is the standard rehydration ratio — change it if your protocol or product is different.
Also prepare
- Rehydration nutrient
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- Rehydration water (≈ 40–43 °C)
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- Potential alcohol
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How do we calculate this?
The exact formulas used in this tab:
Units
What this calculator does
Suggests a dried-yeast dose from your sugar reading and volume, then works out the warm water and rehydration nutrient to prepare it, and the potential alcohol.
The formula
Dose rate by Brix (editable): Brix ≤ 0 → no suggestion (no sugar left to ferment) 0 < Brix < 22 → 25 g/hL (standard) 22 – 25 → 30 g/hL (elevated) Brix ≥ 25 → 35 g/hL (high-sugar stress)Yeast (g) = rate (g/hL) × volume L ÷ 100Rehydration water (mL) = yeast (g) × 10 (≈ 40–43°C)Rehydration nutrient (g) = yeast (g) × nutrient rate (editable, defaults to 125%)Potential alcohol (%) ≈ Brix × 0.59 (only when Brix > 0)
Worked example
- 1,000 L of must
- Sugar: 24 °Brix
- Rate for the elevated band 22 ≤ 24 < 25 °Brix → 30 g/hL
- Dried yeast 30 × 1,000 ÷ 100 = 300 g
- Warm water to rehydrate it 300 × 10 = 3,000 mL = 3 L
- Rehydration nutrient 300 × 1.25 = 375 g
- Potential alcohol 24 × 0.59 = 14.2 % vol
Pitch 300 g of dried yeast
Questions
Why does the dose go up with sugar?
More sugar means a longer, harder fermentation and more alcohol, which stresses the yeast. The calculator suggests 25 g/hL below 22 °Brix, 30 g/hL from 22 to 25 °Brix, and 35 g/hL from 25 °Brix up. You can type your own rate instead.
What is the rehydration nutrient for?
It feeds the yeast while it rehydrates, before it meets the must. The calculator uses 1.25 g of nutrient per 1 g of yeast (125%), a common ratio. Change it if your product or protocol says otherwise.
Why ten times the yeast’s weight in water?
Dried yeast is usually rehydrated in about ten times its weight of warm water, around 40–43 °C. Follow your yeast’s own instructions if they differ.