Campden and sorbate questions v. my first time

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mwhc22

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so I searched a bunch of stuff on the site and there were alot of hits and after reading like 30 threads that came up i figured id make a new one.

im making a 3 gallon batch of edworts apfelwein and a 1 gallon spiced test batch. i have already added the campden and sorbate to the 1 gallon as it has been almost 6 weeks since it was started. and i was thinking of bottling on Tuesday night but here it is Thursday and i haven't done it yet. the 3 gallon batch still has another week or so to go before I either keg or bottle it.

? #1 - when i add sorbate and campden should i boil like a 1/4 cup of water and dissolve in that and then add to secondary before racking into it to let sit before bottling?

? #2 - how long do i let it sit in secondary before bottling...how long is too long?

? #3 - i already put 1 campden and a 1/4 tsp of sorbate into my 1 gallon test batch on monday night thinking i would bottle the next night as i have heard is when you bottle. but today makes day 3...is this too long?

? #4 - will there be any airlock activity after adding campden and sorbate? mine still has a touch of activity when i move it around. is this just a touch of natural degassing? or did the campden and sorbate not do their job for some wacked out reason?

? #5 - Should i even bother with campden and sorbate for the 3 gallon batch if I am going to keg it?

thanks in advance :mug:
 
? #1 - when i add sorbate and campden should i boil like a 1/4 cup of water and dissolve in that and then add to secondary before racking into it to let sit before bottling?
Yes.

? #2 - how long do i let it sit in secondary before bottling...how long is too long?
After stabilizing, it's good to let it sit at least three days to ensure that further fermentation will be halted, then you can sweeten to taste and bottle whenever you want. How long is too long? I don't know- maybe a two years might be too long. As long as you have water in the airlock, you can age it for a very long length of time

? #3 - i already put 1 campden and a 1/4 tsp of sorbate into my 1 gallon test batch on monday night thinking i would bottle the next night as i have heard is when you bottle. but today makes day 3...is this too long?
See questions 1 and 2, except I think 1/4 tsp of sorbate is a pretty small dose. Did you sweeten it yet?

? #4 - will there be any airlock activity after adding campden and sorbate? mine still has a touch of activity when i move it around. is this just a touch of natural degassing? or did the campden and sorbate not do their job for some wacked out reason?
It's degassing. Unless you added more fermentables, in which case maybe it's fermenting again.

? #5 - Should i even bother with campden and sorbate for the 3 gallon batch if I am going to keg it?
Only if you're sweetening it.

any one have an idea?

Patience, young man! :D
I had to work today and was away from the computer. We really do try to answer all the questions as soon as we can.
 
thanks for the info :mug: ... i was just worried because someone else on the board had a thread where they added some campden and sorbate to a batch and it got infected after letting it sit for like a week. about the 1/4 teaspoon of sorbate... my bottle says thats how much to put for a gallon. so thats what i did... what is the norm otherwise?

also if im a bit impatient sometimes with message boards, its because im used to one that i go to with so many members its hard not to have a reply in under 5 min on anything you can think of. LoL

P.S. nice AV :D although im going to cry if we don't make the playoffs. I was like 2 years old the last time we made it so i have my fingers crossed homebrew in hand :D
 
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