anti-oxidant?

learnasigo · Sep 30, 2008

I am new to homebrewing and was wondering what it means when it says to add 1 tsp of anti-oxidant. The first two batches came out great, but the recipe didn't include anti-oxidant. This batch is apple wine and just want to make sure I add the right stuff to the batch. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Yooper · Sep 30, 2008

anti-oxidant? I never heard of that. I do use campden tablets (sulfite) which can work as an anti oxidant, I guess. What recipes are you using?

petes · Sep 30, 2008

Have seen recipes with ascorbic acid called for as anti oxident.

Nurmey · Sep 30, 2008

petes said:
Have seen recipes with ascorbic acid called for as anti oxident.

Now that you mention it, I believe that Malic acid is also used as an anti oxidant.

learnasigo · Sep 30, 2008

I am using a recipe I got from mid-west brewery. the recipe calls for 14 lb of apples, 1 lb of sugar, 1 and a half tsp of acid blend, half tsp of pectic enzyme, fourth tsp of tannin, 1 tsp of nutrient, 1 crushed campden, 1 pack of yeast, then it says add 1 tsp of anti-oxidant when you bottle it. The recipe is for one gallon of wine. The last two batches i added half of tsp of stabilizer and then sweetened thats it.

Yooper · Sep 30, 2008

learnasigo said:
I am using a recipe I got from mid-west brewery. the recipe calls for 14 lb of apples, 1 lb of sugar, 1 and a half tsp of acid blend, half tsp of pectic enzyme, fourth tsp of tannin, 1 tsp of nutrient, 1 crushed campden, 1 pack of yeast, then it says add 1 tsp of anti-oxidant when you bottle it. The recipe is for one gallon of wine. The last two batches i added half of tsp of stabilizer and then sweetened thats it.

That recipe looks fine. In this case, I believe the anti-oxidant would be one crushed and dissolved campden tablet. You would crush it and dissolve it in a sample of the wine, and then pour it into the bottling bucket, and then rac the wine into it. "Stabilizer", though, has that already in it. If you'd rather, you could simply add stabilizer. Stabilizer is campden and sorbate together. Sorbate isn't strictly necessary, unless you're sweetening, but won't hurt.