How much sodium meta per gallon?
- Thread starter rowan57
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Assuming you have fresh cider, and want to kill wild microbes before pitching your chosen yeast strain- use 1/4 teaspoon per 23 liters. (Is "teaspoon" the same in the UK as in the US? I'm not sure of imperial/UK measurements).
Yes, 1/8 teaspoon for 11.5L, so I'd call it "close enough".
I don't typically use sodium metabisulfite, as I use potassium metabisulfite (no added sodium in the wine or cider) but it's the same dosage.
thecebruery
Active Member
If we're playing the "close enough" game, I'd agree w/ Yooper (and 1/4 teaspoon for 5 gallons is usually a little extra, so it's all good).
But if you're measuring it out with precision, I always used an amount of sodium meta equal to 75% of the potassium meta that a recipe called for in, since sodium is about 33% more powerful than potassium meta.
That is, 57% of the weight of a molecule of potassium metabisulfite is sulfites, but 76% of the weight of a molecule of sodium metabisulfite is sulfites, so, pound for pound (or gram for gram, teaspoon for teaspoon), you need a little less.
If you're only racking once and fining, it really doesn't matter. But say you're racking five or so times, adding sodium meta each time, and already have water that's high in sodium so you want to minimize any extra if possible ... or say you're running low and worried that you only have 4 grams instead of the 6 your calculations calls for ...
Point is, you can (and maybe should) use a little less with no worries!
Source: Resident of a country without wine/homebrew supply stores and only industrial chemical suppliers, and as such the proud owner of a 25kg bag of sodium metabisulfite, which will last me for the next 236 years, at my present rate of usage.
