🧪 The Homebrewer’s Mead Yeast Master Table

A practical guide to widely available wine, cider, ale, and mead yeasts — optimized for honey must, not malt.

Matthew Chrispen

26 Nov 2025 — 4 min read

Honey is unique: zero YAN, low nutrient density, no FAN, and a clean sugar matrix that exposes every flaw a yeast produces. This table focuses on yeasts that perform well in mead, are commonly sold at homebrew shops, and have well-understood behaviors in honey ferments. I put this together for a personal reference, and to share with my mead maker friends.

🍯 Mead-Friendly Yeast Strain Master Table (Homebrewer-Focused)

Note: “Low YAN yeast” still does not mean “no nutrients needed.”
Even low-demand strains require a modern staggered nutrient schedule (TOSNA/TONSA) because honey has ~0 ppm YAN.

🍷 Wine & Mead Yeasts (Lalvin / Lallemand)

Lalvin D47

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	~15%
Temp Range	59–68°F (15–20°C)
YAN Requirement	Low (but still run full TOSNA)
Esters	Medium-high fruit (citrus, stone fruit), fuller body
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium if run hot or underfed
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Rounds out the mouthfeel; can create buttery notes if >68°F. Keep temps controlled.
Best Uses	Traditional mead, melomel, metheglin, semisweet/sweet meads

Lalvin 71B-1122

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	~14%
Temp Range	59–72°F (15–22°C)
YAN Requirement	Low
Esters	High fruit esters; softens acidity (malic reduction)
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium-low
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Very “juicy,” creates soft round fruitiness; extremely popular for melomels and modern-style sweet meads.
Best Uses	Melomel, session fruit meads, hydromels, semisweet meads

Lalvin EC-1118

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	Up to 18%
Temp Range	50–86°F (10–30°C)
YAN Requirement	Low
Esters	Low/neutral
Phenolics	Very low
H₂S Risk	Very low; very forgiving
Flocculation	High
Honey Behavior	Extremely clean; great for very dry or high-ABV meads. Strong fermenter.
Best Uses	Dry mead, sack mead, sparkling mead, stuck fermentation rescue

Lalvin K1-V1116

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	16–18%
Temp Range	50–95°F (10–35°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	High aromatics; emphasizes floral/terpenic honey
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Low
Flocculation	Low
Honey Behavior	Extremely robust; maintains aromatics even with high ABV.
Best Uses	High-gravity traditionals, aromatic honeys, cysers, tropical melomels

Lalvin QA23

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	~16%
Temp Range	54–77°F (12–25°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	Medium-high; citrus & floral
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Preserves floral honey notes extremely well; bright acidity.
Best Uses	Show meads, orange blossom honey, mead/wine hybrids

🍯 Mead-Specific Yeasts (Mangrove Jack’s)

Mangrove Jack’s M05 Mead Yeast

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	High (15%+)
Temp Range	64–77°F (18–25°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	High floral esters (especially cool-fermented)
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Fast, clean fermenter with pleasant floral notes; tends to finish dry unless stabilized.
Best Uses	Traditional, semisweet mead, hydromels

Mangrove Jack’s M02 Cider (for Cyser)

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	~14%
Temp Range	59–72°F (15–22°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	Light apple/pear esters
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Creates bright, crisp cysers. Not ideal for heavy traditional meads.
Best Uses	Cyser, session cysers, hydromels

🧬 Wyeast Liquid Mead-Friendly Strains

Wyeast 4184 Sweet Mead

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	11–12%
Temp Range	70–75°F (21–24°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium-high
Esters	Medium fruity
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium-high
Flocculation	Medium-low
Honey Behavior	Leaves residual sweetness; great for dessert-style meads.
Best Uses	Sweet meads, dessert meads, fruity meads

Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale (modern mead favorite)

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	12–13%
Temp Range	64–80°F (18–27°C)
YAN Requirement	High
Esters	High fruit (pear, peach, citrus)
Phenolics	Low-moderate spice
H₂S Risk	Low
Flocculation	Low
Honey Behavior	Loved for “modern” meads: bright esters, silky body. Needs full nutrient management + oxygen.
Best Uses	BOMM meads, session meads, fruit-forward meads

🧪 White Labs Liquid Mead Strains

WLP720 Sweet Mead

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	~15%
Temp Range	70–75°F (21–24°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium-high
Esters	Moderate fruity
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium
Flocculation	Medium-low
Honey Behavior	Leaves residual sweetness; fuller body but can stall if underfed.
Best Uses	Sweet meads, show meads, metheglins

WLP715 Champagne Yeast

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	15–17%
Temp Range	50–72°F (10–22°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	Low/neutral
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Low
Flocculation	High
Honey Behavior	Very clean, excellent for dry traditionals or sparkling meads.
Best Uses	Sparkling mead, sack mead, dry mead

🍺 Fermentis Dry Yeasts (Homebrew Staples)

SafAle US-05

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	~11%
Temp Range	60–75°F (15–24°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	Low-neutral
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Low
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Very clean; excellent for hydromels and braggots.
Best Uses	Session mead, hydromel, hopped meads

SafAle S-04

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	10–11%
Temp Range	59–68°F (15–20°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	Medium English fruity
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Medium
Flocculation	High
Honey Behavior	Soft, fruity meads with quick clearing.
Best Uses	Traditional mead, melomel, braggot (English style)

🧪 LalBrew (Lallemand Beer Yeasts Used for Mead)

LalBrew Nottingham

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	14%
Temp Range	50–72°F (10–22°C)
YAN Requirement	Medium
Esters	Low
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Low
Flocculation	High
Honey Behavior	Very neutral; excellent for clean, dry meads.
Best Uses	Traditional dry mead, braggot, session mead

LalBrew Verdant IPA (for modern fruit meads)

Attribute	Value
Alcohol Tolerance	10–11%
Temp Range	64–72°F (18–22°C)
YAN Requirement	High
Esters	High (“juicy”)
Phenolics	Low
H₂S Risk	Low
Flocculation	Medium
Honey Behavior	Produces NEIPA-like tropical notes in fruit meads.
Best Uses	Fruity melomels, tropical hydromels

🔚 Final Notes for Homebrewers

Which yeasts are best for mead beginners?

Lalvin 71B
Lalvin D47
Mangrove Jack’s M05
WLP720 (sweet) or EC-1118 (dry)

Which for modern “bright fruit” meads?

Wyeast 1388
Lalvin 71B
Verdant IPA

Which for dry, clean, no-ester meads?

EC-1118
Nottingham
WLP715

Which for cysers?

M02 cider
QA23
71B