campden?

I see people putting it in with their meade... I thought it was to kill yeast when you are done..... is that not so?

It's more of a stunning than killing. You can stop fermentation to retain some sweetness, then refrigerate to put them to sleep.

People also use it if they have unfiltered, unpasteurized juice, to stun the natural yeasties into submission while the brewing yeast that is added gets to work.

It also protects your must from oxidation during racking. Regards, GF.

hmmm.... so its not how you kill the stuff when your done? well poo!

its to help stun any wild yeast and bacteria that was in the honey or fruits that were added. honey naturaly retards them but that is no longer the case when you mix the honey in with water for the must.
new mead maker myself so anyone else please feel free to correct or add to what ive posted

Why KMETA (my abbr for potasssium metabisulfite) is used has more to do with when it is used:

• Used prior to pitching with meads like melomels, it serves to inhibit any wild yeasts from interfering with the desired yeast strain
• It is synergistic when used in combination with sorbate after fermentation is completed
• Prior to bottling 50-100 ppm SO2 serves to protect against oxidation

Some mead makers choose not to use it at all...

claphamsa said:

I see people putting it in with their meade... I thought it was to kill yeast when you are done..... is that not so?

Click to expand...

K-meta, or potassium metabisulfite, won't stabilize a wine or a mead alone. It must be used in conjunction with potassium sorbate. These two chemicals, in combination, won't stop an active fermentation. They'll prevent renewed fermentation in a wine or a mead that's finished primary fermentation so that it can be bottled, or backsweetened and then bottled.

K-meta is more properly used alone to prevent oxidation. Sulfites, in large enough amounts, are also used to help preserve fresh grapes for transport prior to crushing. I also use k-meta, in conjunction with citric acid, as a very strong sanitizer.

It'll also remove chloramines from water. Only takes like 1/4 tablet in 5 gallons water to neutralize the chloramine.

Chlorine will just gas out of solution...chloramine is bonded at the molecular level and needs a catalyst to get it out of solution.