Difference between campden tablets and potassium sorbate

[nickz]

My cider is done fermenting and is in it's secondary racking. I have been cold crashing the cider for 2 days thus far. I am trying to back sweeten my cider with apple juice concentrate but trying not to just ferment the cider back to dry again. I ordered some stuff off midwest and that included campden tablets because they were out of potassium sorbate. I'm trying to prevent a re-fermentation and from what i've read is that the majority of what campden tablets are used for are prior to fermentation and that it won't stabilize my cider. Is this correct?

The yeast i used was red star champagne yeast, if that makes a difference.

 

[Yooper]

My cider is done fermenting and is in it's secondary racking. I have been cold crashing the cider for 2 days thus far. I am trying to back sweeten my cider with apple juice concentrate but trying not to just ferment the cider back to dry again. I ordered some stuff off midwest and that included campden tablets because they were out of potassium sorbate. I'm trying to prevent a re-fermentation and from what i've read is that the majority of what campden tablets are used for are prior to fermentation and that it won't stabilize my cider. Is this correct?

The yeast i used was red star champagne yeast, if that makes a difference.

Campden tabets are a convenient form of potassium metabisulfite. That's what winemakers use as an antioxidant/preservative, commonly called "sulfites".

Potassium sorbate is used to inhibit yeast reproduction. It's used when wine/cider/mead is done fermenting, and it is racked off of the lees and clear. Then when it's used, it usually prevents fermentation from recurring, since the yeast still in suspension can reproduce and start fermentation again. Sorbate works best in the presence of sulfite, so they are generally added together.

In sort, neither kill yeast. But campden especially won't stabilize your cider. You need potasium sorbate to prevent yeast reproduction if you wish to stabilize and then sweeten.

 

[nickz]

Looks like i'm going to have to go to the home brew store tomorrow. Do you think if I rack it off again and store the bottle in the fridge I won't run the risk of going thru another fermentation?

 

[Yooper]

Looks like i'm going to have to go to the home brew store tomorrow. Do you think if I rack it off again and store the bottle in the fridge I won't run the risk of going thru another fermentation?

If you use the potassium sorbate first, once it's clear and not throwing lees any more, you won't have fermentation restart. If you don't use the sorbate, but keep it cold, you might not have fermentation restart.

 

[anteup]

Is your plan to bottle carbonate? From advice given to me is wait it out. Cold crashing only halts fermentation at the SG of the finished brew but if your plan is to back sweeten your reading should be less than 1.000. Check around on other thoughts.

 

[jkoegel]

On the same topic......
What is the difference between Calcium Metabisulfite and Potassium Metabisulfite.
Any flavor or performance difference between the two?
My LHBS just started carrying both and I was wondering if it made any difference.

 

[nickz]

The cider already fermented dry, I just cold crashed it to help it clear and I don't plan on carbonating.

In order I should add a campden tablet and potassium sorbate to the cider and then bottle immediately or do I need to wait for the sulfate evaporate (not sure if that's the correct terminology) out?

 

[Yooper]

The cider already fermented dry, I just cold crashed it to help it clear and I don't plan on carbonating.

In order I should add a campden tablet and potassium sorbate to the cider and then bottle immediately or do I need to wait for the sulfate evaporate (not sure if that's the correct terminology) out?

You'd want to wait a few days. Not to evaporate (and you're not using sulfate, but sulfite) but to make sure it has had some time to ensure that the yeast don't reproduce. About three days is adequate, and then sweeten. Wait a couple of days after that to make sure fermentation doesn't restart, and then bottle.

 

[Yooper]

On the same topic......
What is the difference between Calcium Metabisulfite and Potassium Metabisulfite.
Any flavor or performance difference between the two?
My LHBS just started carrying both and I was wondering if it made any difference.

I think you're asking about sodium metabisulfite and potassium metabisulfites. The difference is simply that one has sodium in it and one has potassium in it. I try to avoid sodium just because I don't want more sodium in my diet.

 

[nickz]

I just added the campden tablets and potassium sorbate, should it be plugged? and agitated?