Potassium Sorbate enough?

dubbel dutch · 03-28-2008, 06:36 PM

In preparation to stabilize my mead I've done a little reading and found that I may want to add campden tablets as they provide the sulfites necessary for yeast attrition.

I k-sorbed the mead a few days ago and the airlock is now chugging once every 10 mins.

I want to backsweeten and bottle but my gut tells me that unless I add sulfites that fermentation is going to start right back up again (the fact that I've used champagne yeast makes this even more likely).

If campden tabs are unnecessary, how much longer should I wait before backsweetening?

z987k · 04-10-2008, 09:57 AM

I'm kind of looking into this a bit myself right now, but campden tables = potassium sorbate. Potassium metabisulfite will kill the yeast, k-sorb stops renewed growth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotmead.com

Potassium Metabisulfite or Sodium Metabisulfite. Potassium metabisulfite is added to wine to inhibit bacteria and yeast growth, as well as slow down oxidation. It may leave an unpleasant aftertaste in wine if the dose is too high. This chemical is also used in a water solution as an antiseptic rinse to sanitize equipment. It is identical to, but better than, Sodium Metabisulfite, because it does not add sodium to one's diet. CAUTION: Some people, particularly asthmatics, can have a severe allergic reaction to this substance.
Use: For wine: 1/8 teaspoon (1 gram) of powder per gallon of wine provides 150 ppm free SO2. A little bit goes a long way, so be careful! Generally speaking, the target free SO2 for red wines is 20-30 ppm and 25-40 ppm for white wines.
(Text from http://www.grapestompers.com/description_chem.htm).

Potassium Sorbate (stabilizer). Potassium Sorbate prevents renewed fermentation in wine that is to be bottled and/or sweetened. Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon per gallon.

**Yooper** · 04-10-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z987k

I'm kind of looking into this a bit myself right now, but campden tables = potassium sorbate. Potassium metabisulfite will kill the yeast, k-sorb stops renewed growth.

Sorry, that's wrong. Campden = potassium metabisulfite and does NOT kill yeast!

Read your source more closely- k meta inhibits yeast growth, never kills them. Potassium sorbate also does NOT kill yeast; k sorbate inhibits yeast reproduction. They are most certainly different chemicals, but work best together.

The best way to back sweeten is to wait until fermentation is completely stopped. (Because neither of those compounds actually kill yeast, it's really tough to stop a active fermentation, which may be why you have airlock activity- you may have just temporarily stunned them). After fermentation is stopped, dissolve 1/2 tsp per gallon of k-sorbate and 1 campden tablet per gallon into some boiling water (like 1/2 cup) and stir until completely dissolved. Put this into your carboy, and rack your mead into it. Wait about 3-4 days to ensure fermentation has not restarted, and then sweeten as desired. I would wait another week after sweetening, just to be 100% sure it doesn't start up again. Then bottle.

z987k · 04-10-2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

Sorry, that's wrong. Campden = potassium metabisulfite and does NOT kill yeast!

Read your source more closely- k meta inhibits yeast growth, never kills them. Potassium sorbate also does NOT kill yeast; k sorbate inhibits yeast reproduction. They are most certainly different chemicals, but work best together.

eh yeah sorry it was late and

I think that was why i posted the thing off gotmead as well.