How much metabisulfate for 5G ?

[kappclark]

I have 2 5G carboys of cider, and I put 1 tsp of Campden in each last night..both were fermenting..

Is that enough ? One is fermenting more than before...

I have the WLP cider yeast ready to go in a starter ...

Advice ?

 

[Yooper]

I have 2 5G carboys of cider, and I put 1 tsp of Campden in each last night..both were fermenting..

Is that enough ? One is fermenting more than before...

I have the WLP cider yeast ready to go in a starter ...

Advice ?

If you used 1 teaspoon of crushed campden, that could be a problem. What did you use, though? 1 teaspoon of crushed campden tablets would be fine, as a normal dosage would be 5 campden tablets per carboy, 1 per gallon.

But the stuff that comes as a powder already, the potassium metabisulfite, is much stronger as the tablets have binders and other things in them. If you used a teaspoon of THAT, you'd kill or stun everything in there as a normal dosage would be 1/4 teaspoon per carboy.

Normally, you add campden (sulfite) at pressing to keep the cider from allowing the wild yeast and bacteria to take hold. You also may add it before adding yeast to make sure there are no chance for those wild critters to take hold, in unpasteurized cider. Thereafter, it may be used as an antioxidant at every other racking and/or at bottling. It's not normally just added to a fermentation, though.

 

[Greghark]

Do you mean they were already fermenting on their own? From all the books, the amount of campden needed will depends on the pH. The more acidic the less campden needed. Camden will inhibit wild or weaker yeast strains and sorbate should control future fermenting but it won't stop a ferment in process. Also, different brands of campden will produce different concentrations of SO2. Unless your pH was less than 3.6, you will probably need to add up to a level of 100-150 ppm. There are a lot of discussion on using campden and how much to use. A lot will come down to personal preference. If the yeast is ready to go you can pitch it and hope the strong stuff will win.

 

[jfsp]

Here's a link to how much Campden tablets you need per gallon based on the pH :

http://www.cider.org.uk/part3.htm

I've followed that rule set (pH 3.5) and used 2 tabs / gal in my batches and 24h later when I pitched my yeast there might have been residual SO2 in there since one batch didn't start fermenting at all. Most people here recommend lower amounts of metabisulfate then what is published elsewhere. My LHBS recommended even less : 2 tabs per 5 gallon.

 

[kappclark]

A lot will come down to personal preference. If the yeast is ready to go you can pitch it and hope the strong stuff will win.

The starter seeme pretty 'strong' and I hope they win !

Yes - I picked up the cider a day late from the LHBS, and the shaky shaky on the way home didn't help..more O2 for the critters..

The 2 carboys seem to have settled down, so I an going to split the starter tinight between the 2 and have a battle of the yeasts...

So next time, I add the campden tabs the day of the pressing, wait 24 hours, then go with the cider yeast...it doesn;t take long !

I waited 1 year for my current batch, and it was worth it...this might have a bit more funk, which is OK.

Thanks all for comments.

 

[kappclark]

If you used 1 teaspoon of crushed campden, that could be a problem. What did you use, though? 1 teaspoon of crushed campden tablets would be fine, as a normal dosage would be 5 campden tablets per carboy, 1 per gallon.

.

It is a 4oz bottle of Sodium Metabisulfite...I used abt 1 tsp for 5 gal

 

[Jacob_Marley]

It is a 4oz bottle of Sodium Metabisulfite...I used abt 1 tsp for 5 gal

Yup. You likely way overdosed on the K-meta. Unless your sulfite says something else on the bottle; like Yooper says, the normal dose is 1/4 teaspoon per 5 or 6 gallons.

Also, why were your carboys fermenting when, if I understand you correctly, you hadn't added the yeast (or yeast starter) yet?

 

[kappclark]

Sodium Metabisulfate, not Potassium Metabisulfate.

I assume there is a difference..

The fermentation was due to the wild yeast ... cider was pressed Saturday morning, and I picked it up Monday afternoon...

Looks like the cider yeast is kicking in ... I will take gravity in 2 weeks to be sure ..

 

[Jacob_Marley]

Nah ... not really much of a difference.

For practical purposes they are used similarly and often interchangeably in home winemaking.
I use the term K-meta the way some use the term campden to refer to metabisulfite generally. Lazy me.

One difference is that K-meta has a very slightly higher amount of SO2 verses sodium ... 57% versus 48% ... but it’s really immaterial. Measuring the relative level of *free* molecular SO2 in wine is a very complex thing and 57% verses 48% really has no bearing. The point is just to cover your sulfiting sufficiently.

In commercial winemaking, the sodium version is not allowed in many countries including the US & Canada (It's the "sodium" thing ... wooooo ... I guess that means I can drink twice as much and not have to worry about sodium).

Actually, potassium metabisulfite is often not used in commercial operations and instead sulfiting is done in bulk with SO2 gas ... mostly when it gets close to bottling, commercial vintners often avoid potassium metabisulfite (potassium in general) because of its contributing to tartrate instability and the falling out of potassium tartrate crystals under certain conditions ... highly annoying once you’ve corked up some thousands of bottles.

FWIW: I use only the potassium version.

 

[kappclark]

Yup. You likely way overdosed on the K-meta. Unless your sulfite says something else on the bottle; like Yooper says, the normal dose is 1/4 teaspoon per 5 or 6 gallons.
QUOTE]

The bottle (from Crosby and Baker) says" Wine 1/8 tsp per gallon = approx 10 ppm of free SO2"



Thx for the feedback - first time I have used this ...there is clear activity in bothe fermenters, so I think I am in the clear..

 

[kappclark]

Yup. You likely way overdosed on the K-meta. Unless your sulfite says something else on the bottle; like Yooper says, the normal dose is 1/4 teaspoon per 5 or 6 gallons.
QUOTE]

The bottle (from Crosby and Baker) says" Wine 1/8 tsp per gallon = approx 100 ppm of free SO2"



Thx for the feedback - first time I have used this ...there is clear activity in bothe fermenters, so I think I am in the clear..