Hard lemonade question

I've been reading and I'm not sure that I've found the answer to this question. I'm going to be making a hard lemonade this weekend, and per some suggestions on this forum I would like to stop the fermentation before it is finished, but I'm not sure how to do that. Do I just add Potassium Sorbate? How much?

Thanks all

Triple brew day this weekend. Hard lemonade, Apfelwein, and a wheat beer. I guess I'm sad summer is almost gone!

BugleBrew said:

I've been reading and I'm not sure that I've found the answer to this question. I'm going to be making a hard lemonade this weekend, and per some suggestions on this forum I would like to stop the fermentation before it is finished, but I'm not sure how to do that. Do I just add Potassium Sorbate? How much?

Thanks all

Triple brew day this weekend. Hard lemonade, Apfelwein, and a wheat beer. I guess I'm sad summer is almost gone!

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You can try, by using campden tablets and potassium sorbate. I don't think it'll work though- it's a hard ferment to get started, but then stopping it is like stopping a train. You'd probably have better luck letting it ferment out, adding the campden and sorbate, and then sweetening it to taste.

The "dosage" is one campden tablet per gallon, and 2/3 tsp of sorbate per gallon, UP to 1.5 tsp per 5 gallons. Anymore sorbate than that, and you'll be able to taste it.

So just to clarify, you let it finish. Then, you add sugar to up the gravity back to where you want it while also adding the stabalizer?

BugleBrew said:

So just to clarify, you let it finish. Then, you add sugar to up the gravity back to where you want it while also adding the stabalizer?

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You let it finish, then stabilize it. Wait about three days, then sweeten. That just ensures that the yeast won't be able to reproduce (that's what sorbate does- doesn't really kill yeast, just won't let it reproduce)