Specific Gravity Question

[ratsathome]

Can you stop fermentation if you need the FG to be at a certain point,but it is not finished with the fermentation?Need "medium sweet" but fermentation is moving away from that towards "dry". Do you just have to wait and back sweeten it after it's done?

 

[roadymi]

You can attempt to. Best way I am aware of is to cold crash for 24 hours (longer is better).
This gets a lot of the yeast to fall out of suspension and puts the rest to sleep. Then treat with 1 crushed campden (sulphite) tab / gallon AND 1/2 tsp Sorbate / gallon. You can then backsweeten if it has gotten away from you. If you do backsweeten......monitor the SG for a month before bottling to assure fermentation doesn't take off.

Sorry I don't know metric equivilants

 

[Arpolis]

I did this with a spiced pumpkin mead to stop it at 9.5% ABV and kind of a medium sweet so not completly dry. Worked great but I cranked the fridge as cold as it would go and placed it in the fridge for 1 week.

 

[huesmann]

Stabilize or pasteurize.

 

[saramc]

Stabilizing will NOT stop an active fermentation. Many an exploding bottles have occurred over time because people think they can stop a ferment by adding k-meta + sorbate. You will likely prevent the yeast from multiplying but the yeast that are still active will still ferment.

You could attempt to cold shock the yeast, then sterile filter; OR pasteurize; OR fortify with a healthy dose of neutral spirits like pure grain.