Will Campden Harm Good Yeast?

[JustTegIt]

I am making a blueberry wit and will be adding 3 lbs of frozen blueberries to 2.5 gallons in secondary.

The plan is to puree the thawed blueberries and sterilize with a campden tablet 24 yrs before pitching into the secondary.

My question is - will the campden harm the 'good' yeast (as in, the Wyeast that I pitched)? It seems to me that if it is able to kill wild yeast and bacteria - why would it not also harm the good yeast after I pitch the berries into the secondary? I still need that yeast healthy to ferment the berrries, as well as to ferment the priming sugar and carbonate.

 

[GuldTuborg]

If you're buying a packaged frozen bag of blueberries, you might be OK just letting the bag thaw and adding it directly to the fermenting beer. There's no real need to puree as the freezing process ruptures cell walls and allows yeast access to the sugar inside.

That said, if you do want to use the method you laid out above, definitely wait 24hrs or a bit more after adding the campden (not 24 years) and it should dissipate enough to not do much harm to your existing yeast. The effect of campden tablets dissipates over time, and cultured yeasts for brewing and winemaking are much more resistant than wild yeast.

Also of note, your campden tablets will not sterilize anything. Yes, you may think I'm nitpicking terminology a bit, but the difference between sterilizing and killing off a majority of harmful bacteria is a real one.

 

[JustTegIt]

Thanks. Well - I went with my outlined method (pureed berries and added campden - and put them in the fridge for a day), and I think I may have a problem.

I took my 5 gallons of Blonde Wheat that had been in primary for a week (with Wyeast 3944, top cropping) and racked off half into a secondary fermenter to finish off as a plain Blonde Wheat - and then I racked off the other 2.5 gallons into another fermenter on top of my Blueberries. The primary wasnt completely finished so I am still seeing a bit of airlock activity from even the plain Blonde half, but nothing from the Blueberry half. I was expecting it to take off again with the added sugars from the berries. I can't even use a hydrometer because the gravity will be all screwy now. It has been 24 hrs and nothing (in the blueberry one that is). I am thinking of repitching some Safbrew T-058 that came with the kit as a backup. Any thoughts? Did I do as I feared and kill my good yeast with the campden?

 

[Hex]

You probably just stunned them, rouse daily and report back in three days. DAMHIK

 

[indigi]

Thanks. Well - I went with my outlined method (pureed berries and added campden - and put them in the fridge for a day), and I think I may have a problem.

I took my 5 gallons of Blonde Wheat that had been in primary for a week (with Wyeast 3944, top cropping) and racked off half into a secondary fermenter to finish off as a plain Blonde Wheat - and then I racked off the other 2.5 gallons into another fermenter on top of my Blueberries. The primary wasnt completely finished so I am still seeing a bit of airlock activity from even the plain Blonde half, but nothing from the Blueberry half. I was expecting it to take off again with the added sugars from the berries. I can't even use a hydrometer because the gravity will be all screwy now. It has been 24 hrs and nothing (in the blueberry one that is). I am thinking of repitching some Safbrew T-058 that came with the kit as a backup. Any thoughts? Did I do as I feared and kill my good yeast with the campden?

Were the berries cold when you racked onto them?

 

[JustTegIt]

they were probably 50 degrees or so - beer was at 70. I have a cheap stickon thermometer on the fermenter and it didnt drop appreciably from 70...i didn even notice it drop at all in fact.


I decided to make a starter tonight from a packet of Safbrew T58 dry yeast. I'll pitch that in tomorrow assuming I still dont have any activity.

 

[erinpogmothoin]

How did it turn out? Did you have to pitch the starter? I am having a similar issue with my Cherry Wheat. Last year, the yeast took off once I racked to my secondary which had the cherries in it. This year is seems to have stalled, and I think the issues is that I went overboard with my campden tablets (I should've used 1/2 or 1 tablet, and I stupidly used 2.)

I am going out to buy some yeast now, in case I do not see any activity by this evening.

thanks,
Patrick