bottling question

I just realised that I am not sure when to add the campden tablets to my mead before bottling. According to the recipe I am using I am to add 1 per gallon when I bottle.
Thing is - I'm using fining agents (K&C) about a week before I bottle and according to the K&C packaging you're supposed to add wine stabilizers before the K&C...I don't know if this is the same thing or not. Can anyone set me straight about this? I was just going to clarify it and then toss in the tablets after the final racking right before I bottle it -does it not really matter?? I work in a lab and tend to obsess!!

whats your final abv? from my understanding once you hit 12+% there is no need for stabilizers since the alcohol will do the preservation for you..

I calculated it to be about 14% and it will likely be dry (final SG is slightly below 1). If I don't need to add anything I'd rather not. It would be OK without campden then?

yea you should be golden, I always shoot for 13% so I dont have to add anything extra. I dont even use fining agents.
The only time I use k-meta (potassium metabisulphite- the active ingredient in campden tablets) is as a sanitizer for my equipment/work area.
I cant totally understand being obsessive, we spend alot of money, time and effort into our concoctions. But remember, mead/wine/beer was made for 1000's of years without the basic understanding of microbiology, sanitation/sterilization and preservatives yet they still ended up with a good if not great final product.

Thanks! I won't worry about the tablets then. I hate adding preservatives if I don't need to. I wouldn't even bother with clarifiers, but I want to take some with me when I travel overseas in a few weeks as a gift and it's not quite cleared up yet...

ExoticMeadMaker said:

But remember, mead/wine/beer was made for 1000's of years without the basic understanding of microbiology, sanitation/sterilization and preservatives yet they still ended up with a good if not great final product.

Click to expand...

While it might be true that wine, beer, and mead have been made for thousands of years, I'd be willing to bet that most of it tasted pretty bad by today's standards.

BTW - I believe they are talking about potassium sorbate, not potassium metabisulphite (campden tablets), when they talk about wine stabilizers.

They ate talking about both actually... The sorbate for inhibiting the yeasts, and the sulphite as an anti-oxidant:

Ate = Are lol

So should I still add the sorbate then? I don't want my bottles to blow up

I always add sorbate to my wines, and I have made over 2000 batches (6 gal) at work and have had no complaints as to the taste. Both using kits an fresh juices.