Stop my fermantation?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
N

nordoe

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
187
Reaction score
1
Location
Philadelphia
Ok, so here is my newest issue. I am making a hard apple cider that started at an og of 1.077. Pretty high, I added some honey and sugar to the cider. I used red star champagne yeast to ferment. I don't want it to go dry, I want to stop it at about 1.015 give or take. Is there a way I can leave it in the primary until I get to that level, then switch to a secondary and kill off the yeast. I know the champage yeasties are pretty strong. Is there a chemical that will not affect my flavor too much that will do this? I will then leave it in the secondary to clear up and bottle it with carb tabs or priming sugar. any suggestions?
 
klyph said:
Campden tablets.
Click to expand...

But from what I read, campden tabs wont kill the yeast. They just slow them down. I want to make sure that if I try and stop the yeast, they dont start up again in the bottles and cause an explosion.
 
its seems to me that if you kill the yeast, it won't carb in the bottles.

and if you have excess fermentables in the bottles and add good yeast, you got the possibility of bottle bombs.
 
nordoe said:
Ok, so here is my newest issue. I am making a hard apple cider that started at an og of 1.077. Pretty high, I added some honey and sugar to the cider. I used red star champagne yeast to ferment. I don't want it to go dry, I want to stop it at about 1.015 give or take. Is there a way I can leave it in the primary until I get to that level, then switch to a secondary and kill off the yeast. I know the champage yeasties are pretty strong. Is there a chemical that will not affect my flavor too much that will do this? I will then leave it in the secondary to clear up and bottle it with carb tabs or priming sugar. any suggestions?
Click to expand...

maybe let it finish fermenting, should be pretty strong and very dry, and then back sweeten with Frozen concentrate to taste. I love/hate hard cider:drunk:
 
If you think it won't be sweet enough you can let it finish then add lactose at bottling time to sweeten it back up. Lactose won't ferment and you don't have to deal with killing yeast and worrying about carbonation issues.
 
NorCalAngler said:
If you think it won't be sweet enough you can let it finish then add lactose at bottling time to sweeten it back up. Lactose won't ferment and you don't have to deal with killing yeast and worrying about carbonation issues.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I also do not feel like waiting up to six months for it to finish,
 
pwndabear said:
couldnt you wait til it got to 1.020, bottle, give it a 2-3 days, and then pastuerize?
Click to expand...

I think it would take a little longer then 2-3 to carbonate. I would do that, but it may take 2 weeks or so, and with all that active yeast, I am affraid of explosion prior to heat pasteurizing or during the process. Does anyone know if campden tablest or postassium sorbate would work? Also, would I still be able to carb after killing of the yeast without force carbing.
 
ok, then you need to figure out how long it will take relative to how long it has been taking. If OG was 1.077, where is it now? Basically, figure out how long it is taking the yeast to bring the gravity down to whatever figure in the primary, and then BOOM bottle, tack on those extra days in the bottle fermenting, pastuerize, condition, send me one, DONE! get it?
 
Sorbate and campden don't kill yeast- they stop it from reproducing. So, you'd have to rack off of the yeast, perhaps chill the fermenter, and then rack onto sorbate and campden.

I've never had luck stopping an active fermentation. It's like stopping a freight train. I've allowed fermentation to finish, then rack onto the sorbate and campden and sweetened with good results.

If you use sorbate and campden, you won't be able to bottle carbonate. Sorbate does have a slight taste.
 
nordoe said:
Also, would I still be able to carb after killing of the yeast without force carbing.
Click to expand...

No. The way bottle conditioning/carbing works is the yeast eat up the priming sugar or apple sugars and release CO2. If you kill the yeast, that can't happen.
 
Yooper_Brew said:
Sorbate and campden don't kill yeast- they stop it from reproducing. So, you'd have to rack off of the yeast, perhaps chill the fermenter, and then rack onto sorbate and campden.

I've never had luck stopping an active fermentation. It's like stopping a freight train. I've allowed fermentation to finish, then rack onto the sorbate and campden and sweetened with good results.

If you use sorbate and campden, you won't be able to bottle carbonate. Sorbate does have a slight taste.
Click to expand...

I do want to carbonate, so I guess I will try heat pasteurizing. I am just a bit scared if I wait a week or two carbonating in the bottles that I may have an explosion prior to pasteurizing. I know its a guess, but if the yeasties are still active, which they will be. Do you think 2 weeks can cause a bomb, or do you think i will be safe?
 
nordoe said:
I do want to carbonate, so I guess I will try heat pasteurizing. I am just a bit scared if I wait a week or two carbonating in the bottles that I may have an explosion prior to pasteurizing. I know its a guess, but if the yeasties are still active, which they will be. Do you think 2 weeks can cause a bomb, or do you think i will be safe?
Click to expand...

I wait a week and open a bottle. If its not quite ready, I open a bottle every other day until it is. I don't waste the cider, its always somewhat carbonated at one week and darn tasty! I seldom go more than two weeks.

Your other two options are to follow the same method, but cold crash it when the bottles are carbonated. Put them in a fridge and keep them cold - the yeast will stop working. Or let the cider ferment out to dry, backsweeten with a non-fermentable like lactose, prime and bottle.
 
Pappers said:
I wait a week and open a bottle. If its not quite ready, I open a bottle every other day until it is. I don't waste the cider, its always somewhat carbonated at one week and darn tasty! I seldom go more than two weeks.

Your other two options are to follow the same method, but cold crash it when the bottles are carbonated. Put them in a fridge and keep them cold - the yeast will stop working. Or let the cider ferment out to dry, backsweeten with a non-fermentable like lactose, prime and bottle.
Click to expand...

Pappers, I know you have a lot of expierence with pasteurizing. I read your sticky and its wonderful. Have you ever bottled that early? If my yeast is still active, do you think a week or so before pasteurizing can cause a bomb?
 
if you want to bottle, carb and then pasteurize, and you are worried that a week is too long, crack one open in 3 days and see how the carbonation is coming along.
if its where you want it, pasteurize em. if not, crack one every other day until it gets where you want it, then pasteurize.
 
l1ranger said:
if you want to bottle, carb and then pasteurize, and you are worried that a week is too long, crack one open in 3 days and see how the carbonation is coming along.
if its where you want it, pasteurize em. if not, crack one every other day until it gets where you want it, then pasteurize.
Click to expand...

I do get the idea, but i guess what i am trying to ask is this. I know there is no garuntee, but if my yeast is still active and i bottle and carbonate, has anyone ever got a bomb after only a week or so. Or do they take some time before an explosion?
 
nordoe said:
I do get the idea, but i guess what i am trying to ask is this. I know there is no garuntee, but if my yeast is still active and i bottle and carbonate, has anyone ever got a bomb after only a week or so. Or do they take some time before an explosion?
Click to expand...

No, I've never had a bottle grenade in a week or even two.
 

Similar threads

MtnGoatJoe
Cold crash didn't stop fermentation
Replies
4
Views
742
Henbrew
Henbrew
C
Cider no sugar gravity 1
Replies
13
Views
2K
Chalkyt
Chalkyt
M
No apple flavor
Replies
32
Views
3K
Midway Island
Midway Island
adnanthemadman
How I rack my cider without wasting good cider at the bottom
Replies
1
Views
637
bernardsmith
bernardsmith
Justwingnit
Want my cider to stop fermentation
Replies
6
Views
738
Justwingnit
Justwingnit
Williams Brewing 300

Latest posts

Back
Top