Need to Stop/Kill Yeast After Fermentation

[DJTroz]

I am making a fruit wheat where I need to stop any active yeast before adding fruit. Typically, I would add the fruit at secondary, and let it ferment out but this is a new venture and cannot find clear information on it. I have both Potassium Metabisulphite and Sodium Metabisulphite. Also, the directions indicate 1/4 tsp each for 6 gallons of wine must to kill wild yeast (LD Carlson). I normally use it for my strike water to remove chlorine/chloramine but in this case, I don't know if the same dose applies. Has anyone does this before?

 

[rhys333]

Just curious why you want to kill the yeast before adding fruit.

 

[DJTroz]

Just curious why you want to kill the yeast before adding fruit.

For this batch, I need for the the fruit to retain its flavor and sweetness and not ferment out.

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

You can do a bottle pasteurization. I can't remember exactly how to do it but I think you put the bottles into a canning pot and raise the temp to 190 for 10-15 minutes, The carefully take them out and let them air cool. Depending on the pot you can do 6 or 7 at a time. Be careful because I had one or two bottles crack.

I did this with a hard lemonade that I wanted to keep some sweetness but was afraid it would put too much pressure on the bottles. I opened a sample bottle each day starting at day 7 or 8 until I was satisfied with the carbonization. Once I was happy with the carb level I pasteurized the rest of the batch.

Here is a thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=193295

 

[DJTroz]

So if I pastuerize, I will take a hit from a reduced carb time and some flavor/sweetness will be lost but it may work. I am doing a 7 gal batch, 5 gals can be heated to 170 then kegged, the fruit (juice/puree) added, then force-carbed. How to get this to work for the other 2 gallons going into bottles is going to be the PITA.

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

Just don't pasteurize until the carbonation is right. If you have extra sweetness above and beyond what is needed to carbonate it should remain. It will mean opening a few bottles to check it. but would be worth the sacrifice in the long run. Just space them out a few days or a week apart.

 

[helibrewer]

I would use the force carb technique on the 5 gallons, that what I do when I back-sweeten cider, adding the K-meta prior to back-sweetening.

With the 2 gallons left, experiment with the pasteurization technique so next time you know the time frame to try on the entire batch....take careful notes.

You only need to get to 160F for 10 minutes to pasteurize and can do that on the stove top in a large pot

 

[normonster]

You could also put that 2 gallon in 2L plastic bottles and carb with one of these. They're pretty dang cool.

 

[tahoehomebrewer]

I have used campden tabs before to kill off the yeast and bacteria in a wild ale and with a Saison Brett. I used 1 tab per gallon. Seemed to work fine for me. I used my autosiphon, tubing, keg and whatnot that I use for all of my clean beers and had no subsequent infection issues. (To be sure I gave them a cleaning cycle with pbw, then a long soak in star san,then iodophor.) after crushing the tabs and adding to the fermenter I gave it a few days to let the sulfur dissipate out then kegged. I got the idea from an old MadFermentationist write up about killing the Brett in his Courage RIS clone with this technique. Whatever you try, good luck!

 

[Sourz4life]

Campden or pasteurizing as your only routes really. You could keep it really cold but that will only work for so long. Also, campden doesn't kill anything. It just prevents cells from replicating.

 

[DJTroz]

You could also put that 2 gallon in 2L plastic bottles and carb with one of these. They're pretty dang cool.

I have one that I use for recarbing 2-liter bottles that lost their fizz. Its a good idea for this project though.

 

[DJTroz]

Campden or pasteurizing as your only routes really. You could keep it really cold but that will only work for so long. Also, campden doesn't kill anything. It just prevents cells from replicating.

I read somewhere that one will stop replication while the other stops fermentaion. So this way, while neither will kill the yeast, theres no chance of further conversion to alcohol.

 

[Sourz4life]

Correct, one stops replication and the other stops metabolizing of sugars as long as its not already in a active ferment.

 

[Izzie1701]

Campden alone won't work. You need both k meta and .....I'm blanking right now. Campden only kills the active yeast but not the dormant and they can come back or something along those lines. Check out the mead forum on stoping a mead fermentation. Tons of info but you need both. Most wine shops will call it campden or k meta and then the other ones called stabalizer.

 

[Izzie1701]

Campden alone won't work. You need both k meta and .....I'm blanking right now. Campden only kills the active yeast but not the dormant and they can come back or something along those lines. Check out the mead forum on stoping a mead fermentation. Tons of info but you need both. Most wine shops will call it campden or k meta and then the other ones called stabalizer.

K meta and k sorbate. Add the k meta then 12 hours later add the k sorbate. Was the first link on google for stoping mead fermentation. I have done this on my last 3 sweat meads and hasn't even moved a cork in bottles that are 2 years old stored at cellar temps. Pretty safe to say it will kill your fermentation.

 

[hockeybrewer]

I've used just potassium sorbate to stop yeast reproduction after back sweetening my hard lemonade with great results. I've done it several times at different amounts because I bottle it in 2 liter bottles and want some carbonation.

 

[5mooth0perator]

You could back sweeten with non-fermentable sugars. Make a strawberry milk shake with lactose.

 

[DJTroz]

K meta and k sorbate. Add the k meta then 12 hours later add the k sorbate. Was the first link on google for stoping mead fermentation. I have done this on my last 3 sweat meads and hasn't even moved a cork in bottles that are 2 years old stored at cellar temps. Pretty safe to say it will kill your fermentation.

So, choose either of the K-metas (not both) and sorbate and I should be able to add fresh fruit without the risk of further fermentation? This is going to be a wheat, which I'm probably going to do 7 gal of and finish with 10# of strawberries.

 

[DJTroz]

You could back sweeten with non-fermentable sugars. Make a strawberry milk shake with lactose.

It sounds like something I may toy with in the future but the goal for this batch is more for the sugar (from the fruit) to remain in-tact and not be fermented out. I've also thought about letting the strawberries ferment out and back-sweetening with a bottle of stuff I picked up at my LHBS. The owner said it's used for wine specifically for back-sweetening but that is then going away from plan A.

 

[hockeybrewer]

I've never used K meta, just the K sorbate and I added 4 cups of sugar and a frozen lemonade concentrate to 6 gallons to back sweeten and I never had a problem with the yeast consuming it. Good luck.

 

[Izzie1701]

So, choose either of the K-metas (not both) and sorbate and I should be able to add fresh fruit without the risk of further fermentation? This is going to be a wheat, which I'm probably going to do 7 gal of and finish with 10# of strawberries.

No you need to use both. The k meta stops any of the remaining active fermentation. You want to do this before you add the k sorbate as it won't stop active fermentation just prevents future fermentations from starting. You may get lucky only using one or the other but the only forsure method is both. You also have to remember after using these chemicals that your beer will contain sulphite. So make sure whoever is drinking it does not have a sulfite intolerance.

 

[joel.atkins87]

You could back sweeten with non-fermentable sugars. Make a strawberry milk shake with lactose.

Recipe?