Killed my beer with potassium metabisulfite?

Or is this just another "did I ruin it?" noob situation?

This is my fifth batch of beer--Pomegranate DimWit.

I made a high gravity 1.080 extract based wit beer and fermented with Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit yeast.

Primary went great, temperature went from 65 to 72 as planned. Beautiful four inch Krausen settled down to a quarter inch over about a week.

I had a gallon of pomegranate juice that I had painstakingly fresh squeezed and frozen from homegrown fruit.

I added probably too much potassium metabisulfite to the thawed juice (less than a half teaspoon) and let it sit covered in a stainless steel pot for about 18 hours at room temp.

I then racked the juice to a fresh secondary carboy, and racked the Wit on top of the juice.

It's been four days and I'm stuck at 1.024.

Did I kill my beer?

Should I make a huge starter and repitch the same or different yeast?

I could always let it clear and force carbonate (I need a good reason to get into kegging), but the beer is a little sweet for my taste, but the pomegranate taste is there and the sweet/sour/bitter is almost balanced, just a little sweet.

Yes, you almost certainly killed it by adding the metabisulfate.

If you want to do that again, I'd use campden tablets instead, since they will become mostly inert after 24 hours. Better though is just to heat pasteurize your fruits. (heat to 150 for half an hour)

If the brew is only a little sweet now, once you add the acid tartness of carbonation it will probably be good. So here's your reason for getting a kegerator.

whatisitgoodfor said:

Yes, you almost certainly killed it by adding the metabisulfate.

If you want to do that again, I'd use campden tablets instead

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This makes no sense. Campden tablets _are_ potassium metabisulfate or sodium metabisulfate--there's no difference there.

I think if you did kill it, you could have avoided it by waiting at least 24 hrs to rack the beer onto it. I'd stir it up well and see what happens.

OHIOSTEVE said:

I'd stir it up well and see what happens.

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This is what I am doing, and will be doing for a few more days, after about a week, I will probably try to repitch a big starter, and if the new yeast don't take hold, I'll keg.

SumnerH said:

This makes no sense. Campden tablets _are_ potassium metabisulfate or sodium metabisulfate--there's no difference there.

Click to expand...

This just illustrates why you shouldn't drink and post.

I was thinking that he had added Potassium Sorbate for some reason.

From what I've read around here, its not uncommon for extract brews to not ferment out any farther than 1.020. So your beer might be done, regardless of your additives...

I'm concerned that it will not bottle condition, and I do not have a keg system set up yet. Hopefully time will heal all wounds and it will turn itself around.

What was the gravity before you racked it onto the juice?

The gravity before transfer was around 1.024-26, but I didn't measure the gravity of the juice (which was sweet to taste).

I probably should have used much less K2S2O5, like maybe a pinch or two, not nearly a half teaspoon.
Also, I probably should have covered the juice with a sanitized cloth instead of the stainless steel pot lid to let the sulfur out-gas from the juice overnight.

I went out and gave it a good swirl with my cane because it is separating out and I want to keep those yeasties in suspension.

I am getting some pressure in the vessel, even an occasional bubble or two in the airlock, that I do not believe to be residual CO2 left in solution, SO ALL MAY NOT BE LOST.

I'm going to keep rousing it for a couple of days, and I'll get back to y'all with a new gravity report.

Thanks for all the help so far, and say a prayer for my beer!

Update--I've been giving it a good swirling with my cane, morning and night for a couple of days....

Looks like the god of beer took pity on me and answered my prayers--woke up this morning to see a new krausen forming!

Dang, them yeasties are tough and hungry for pomegranate juice.

I think you can officially put this one in:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/think-you-ruined-your-beer-set-your-fears-aside-74520/

I'll post final gravity when finished. WooHoo!:rockin:

Sounds like it will work out. Let us know how it turns out.

Resurrection! Half inch rose colored krausen when I got home this evening!

No extra yeast was added, just stirring until wirlpool formed (without breaking the surface too much) with my racking cane for twice a day for three days.

It proved to me, RDWHAHB, and 'it wants to be beer'.

Thanks all for the support! I will post final gravity when finished.

Final gravity 1.016 taken from stirred beer in bottling bucket.

I am exactly in this boat right now. I did a All-grain blood orange hefe and I may have added too much campden to my waters. I zested and sectioned 20 blood oranges!! I did a stir plate starter for the yeast (WLP300) so I don't think the cell count is the issue. I will stir like crazy and pray for the best!