Backsweetening with more cider?

I have a 6 gallon batch of cider. i fermented it in primary for 2 weeks and it is 8% abv after going from 1.060sg to 1.000sg. last night i took the batch off its lees and put it in a fresh clean carboy. i added potassium sorbate, 5 campden tablets, and topped off with one gallon of fresh soft cider to eliminate air space. i Plan to let it settle and clear for one week now. my question is simple...

1) If, in a week when i taste my cider, i find it too dry and want to sweeten, can i add more soft cider at that time OR would that un stabilize it because i wouldnt be adding more cider at same time i added sorbate and campden?

note: the soft cider is UV pastuerized and has wild yeast alive in it. I'm not sure of how long sorbate is effective and how it works which makes me unsure of the answer to this question.



Thanks for any advice! I appreciate it!
Kevin

Also, would a cider from the local grocery store that contains potassium sorbate in it already be a better idea?

Normally I would have given the wine a day or so for the sorbate and campden to work in the carboy before adding the additional cider, but if you haven't seen any new action you're probably good. Sorbate levels will fade whenever there is extra oxygen available (head space or aggitation) or if you add more juice it will dilute the levels of sorbate. Sweetening with cider that has preservatives would be fine. If you're concerned about the SO2 levels you can buy a test kit from a brew store, kind of pricey but normally I only test each batch once or twice (a week or so before bottling).

This is good advice because I think as I added both at the same time, the new juice is fermenting as there is still bubbles coming up the carboy and gas coming out the airlock.....

What do I do now that this had happened ?

Hophead75 said:

Normally I would have given the wine a day or so for the sorbate and campden to work in the carboy before adding the additional cider, but if you haven't seen any new action you're probably good. Sorbate levels will fade whenever there is extra oxygen available (head space or aggitation) or if you add more juice it will dilute the levels of sorbate. Sweetening with cider that has preservatives would be fine. If you're concerned about the SO2 levels you can buy a test kit from a brew store, kind of pricey but normally I only test each batch once or twice (a week or so before bottling).

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Sorbate doesn't dissipate with oxygen.

So even though the new juice is fermenting, the sorbate will still work and stop the yeast from reproducing?

whatdoyameanman said:

This is good advice because I think as I added both at the same time, the new juice is fermenting as there is still bubbles coming up the carboy and gas coming out the airlock.....

What do I do now that this had happened ?

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Wait until it ferments out. Then rack off of the sediment once it is clear into the stabilizing mixture of sorbate and campden. Wait a few days, then sweeten.

Sorbate works by inhibiting yeast reproduction. If there is still plenty of yeast in suspension or on the bottom of the fermenter, it won't "work" to stop fermentation from recurring, as there is plenty of yeast in suspension and the yeast don't need to reproduce.

Giving at least a few days before sweetening it is important in my opinion, because adding the sweetener at the same time means the yeast are still viable.

whatdoyameanman said:

So even though the new juice is fermenting, the sorbate will still work and stop the yeast from reproducing?

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No.

How long do yeast naturally live before dying and having the next generation take over? Or do they live as long ad there is enough sugar? Just looking to get an idea of a timeframe

Does sorbate and campden need to be re added when the fermantation stops again? Or would that put the PPM of each too high?