Campden vs. metabisulphite

Which is better to use to stun the yeast? I've started to cold crash after 5 weeks or so to stop the yeast. However, would campden or metabisulphites be needed to stop the yeast after? I'm guessing "yes" because the must will eventually get back to room temperature.

YeastieBoys said:

Which is better to use to stun the yeast? I've started to cold crash after 5 weeks or so to stop the yeast. However, would campden or metabisulphites be needed to stop the yeast after? I'm guessing "yes" because the must will eventually get back to room temperature.

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Campden = potassium metabisulfite, just in a convenient tablet form.

It doesn't kill wine yeast. If you cold crash to stop the yeast, you could try racking it off of the lees once clear and try using potassium sorbate (1/2 teaspoon per gallon) and some campden/sulfites (as sorbate works better in the presence of sulfite) to inhibit yeast reproduction.

I've never been successful stopping an active fermentation, though, except for kegging a hard lemonade and keeping it cold to stop it fermenting more.

Typically for a sweet wine or mead, I make it at a lower OG and let it ferment out. Then, once clear, I rack onto the sorbate/campden solution and wait a few days before sweetening to taste. That's what has always worked for me.

in some places campden is sodium rather than potassium.

the campden goes in first as its there to kill bacteria that can eat the sorbate. after 5-10min you can pitch in the sorbate.

just remember it doesn't kill yeast. it just stops them breeding and they die off naturally over a period of time.

Here in the US the campden is typically Potassium; though I have seen the sodium for sale special order.

What's cool about the campden tables are that they're measured for 1 gallon batches per tablet with lots of filler. It's hard to measure out 1/16th of a tsp

Sulfites are designed not to inhibit wine yeast growth, just wild yeasts.

The only way to stop a yeast colony in its tracks is to hit it with Potassium Sorbate which nueters the yeast and prevents it from multiplying. The living yeast will continue to consume sugars until they die of old age however.

Yes -- you can cold crash it; but if you bottle it and store it at room temperature be careful as the fermentation will resume.

.....and... I just saw that tweake posted this exact info: +1 to everything he said lol