Mead - how to STOP fernentation

Got some guys with a mead and they want to stop the fermentetion - how can they do this - the ABV is getting to high??

I would put the fermenter in the refrigerator...force the yeast to fall to the bottom and then rack of yeast in to another fermenter...wait a week to see if fermentation has stopped and finish aging process or rack again to reduce yeast.

toss in some campden tablets

Add more honey?

Campden and sorbate might stop it if the fermentation isn't going nuts. I would rack it to a clean carboy first.

Potasium Sorbate will prevent the yeast from reproducing, that with the racking SD recomended should reduce the amount of active yeast, and eventually they will die and stop making more alcohol. The campden tablets are also able to kill off yeast (I don't know the mechanism - ie direct kill, prevent reproduction, etc). The down side is that the sulfates (or sulfites?) from the tablets will gas out of solution and leave it. If mead isn't sealed, then sulfates will eventually leave the mead - or at least that is what happens with a wine must, being left with headspace, that the sulfates come out and alow a pitch yeast to get going.
good luck

Well - after an exhaustive search I find there is no REAL solution. The best is refrigerate/ rack then try campden tablets or Potasium Sorbate.

The problem is campden tablets or Potasium Sorbat only put a shell around the yeast to they can not multiply. They still can still eat.

These kids kept making mead with way to much ABV (like 14%) and wanted something they could drink without getting loaded.

Completely stopping a fermentation is extremely hard, if not impossible.

As pointed out, you can slow it down somewhat, or prevent it from restarting, but to stop it really doesn't work

You might be able to damage the yeast enough if you freeze it solid a couple of times

or heat the whole batch up(nope not sure what temp will kill the yeast)

If you keg, just rack to a clean keg and keep it cold. It will stop the yeast activity.

If you do not keg, check out this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/
This is how some cider makers stop the fermentation to have hard cider not too dry. Just be careful as you are basically bottling too arly, so you might end up with bottle bombs if you do not pasteurize correctly.

Crazy idea, but the the way BMC (and probably some micros) make sure that the beer is stopped is to flash pasturize it through a steam tunnel.

This could be done with the mead, BUT it probably would change the flavor, So if it were me, I'd rack to reduce cell count, then sorbate and campden to sterilize/kill the yeast.

Also they could start with a lower OG which would finish probably at the same FG - which unless you were aiming in the sweet range.

AZ_IPA said:

Completely stopping a fermentation is extremely hard, if not impossible.

As pointed out, you can slow it down somewhat, or prevent it from restarting, but to stop it really doesn't work

Click to expand...

Stopping an active fermentation is like stopping a freight train. Campden and/or sorbate don't kill yeast- as a matter of fact, winemakers use campden (sulfites) as a matter of course and wine yeast is very tolerant of it. You'd have to use so much campden to kill the yeast that the mead would be undrinkable- so don't try it! You can easily use 50-75 ppm of sulfites without even making the yeast blink. Any more than that is discernible by taste.

Sorbate doesn't kill yeast either, as mentioned it simply keeps it from reproducing which isn't an issue since there are billions of active yeast in a fermentation. It also has a taste.

To make a lower ABV mead, it's easiest to simply start with a lower OG. Since it's too late to start over now, it's probably easiest to let it ferment out, clear, rack off of the lees and then use campden and sorbate to stabilize and sweeten to the desired SG. You could try chilling the fermenter, and racking once clear, but if you used a wine yeast at the beginning there is always a risk that fermentation would restart once the mead warms.

The only thing I can think of to be somewhat reliable that an active fermentation would stop is basically a combination of everything mentioned. Put in the fridge, rack once clear, sulfute and sorbate, then probably pasteurize to be safe. Really quite a bit to get fermentation to MAYBE stop. As Yooper said, it's neigh impossible, though. Just tell them to start with a lower OG next time.