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I'm planning 3 different 1gal batches of mead for a special occasion. I'd like to do two with wine yeast, and 1 with ale yeast.

Does Nottingham have the horsepower for this? All the info I can find only says it has a "high alc tolerance", I can't find where it craps out. Anyone have experience with its high end? And given the high alc environment would two packets be advisable for 1gal? Or is one sufficient?

Y'ar I found it on gotmead.com . This yeast will take it to 12 - 15% !! I had no idea it was that hardy.

Interesting that you're using an ale yeast in a mead. Have you done this before, or are you just experimenting?

Are you making a spiced mead? I tend to find that Nottingham mutes flavours a bit more than most other strains, so you may want to consider upping your adjunct quantities, too. Just a thought.

Why not use a mead yeast?

Well I'm feeling a little stressed for time. The plan is to make the mead for some good friends of ours wedding/ "honey"moon in September, which I thought was plenty of lead. BUt actually it sounds like I'm cutting things close (some say needs a year or two to cure). We have 4 or 5 LHBS's here but they are all lame. The best one has 3 kinds of hops ($4-5 per oz) some waaay over priced malt and two kinds of beer yeast, Notty and coopers dry ale yeast. I can also find Windsor and a Morgan's dry lager yeast...

So my selection is limited, the local micro-b has some Wyeast but proly not that one and they're busy so hard to get ahold of. I can find some wine yeasts so my next move is to call around and see if I can find a usable one.

DO you know how clean that mead yeast is? If it was clean enough it might be worth waiting and trying to order some

I've never made mead.

I use beer yeast when making beer.

I use cider yeast when making cider.

I use wine yeast when making wine.

If/when i make mead i will use a mead yeast.

Could just be the logical scientist in me, could be common sense.

Ya given my druthers I would use mead yeast and will probably end up using wine yeast. Unless I make a braggot (mead made partly with malt).

Thanks Bullfrog, I've always heard that it was neutral but I didn't realise it was neutralizing... makes me wonder about using it for ale. How pronounced is this effect?

Nottingham tends to mute the hop flavours/aroma in my experience.

I have used it for porters/stouts where this isn't an issue but would always prefer a good, liquid english ale yeast over Nottingham.

If you wanted to use an ale yeast in a mead i would use a more neutral one such as US05. It doesn't flocculate as well as nottingham but since meads are left for a long time this is a moot point.