Potassium Sorbate usage

[BerserkerPaul]

ALCON,

I've racked a Sack Sweet Mead, 3gal, to secondary and added the prescribed 1/2 tsp/gal amount of potassium sorbate and after a week i'm still getting some bubbling activity, had to use a blow off hose. Should I dose it with some more potassium sorbate or leave it alone? i haven't taken a hydro reading since racking. My concern is that fermentation is ongoing and I'll potentially lose whatever sweetness is left.
Thanks in advance.

OG: 1.167
FG: 1.018

Paul-

 

[saramc]

Sorbate does not halt an active ferment, it only inhibits yeast from multiplying but all live yeast will continue to use available sugar until it is gone or they die off. You need to ferment to completion and then stabilize with sorbate and k-meta, then backsweeten. Some may say you can TRY racking, cold shocking, dose with KMS and sorbate while cold, rack again, repeat but I have never had good experience with that unless all bottles are kept cold. Pasteurization is an option, as is fortifying with neutral spirit.

 

[manbrandon28]

Sorbate does not halt an active ferment, it only inhibits yeast from multiplying but all live yeast will continue to use available sugar until it is gone or they die off. You need to ferment to completion and then stabilize with sorbate and k-meta, then backsweeten. Some may say you can TRY racking, cold shocking, dose with KMS and sorbate while cold, rack again, repeat but I have never had good experience with that unless all bottles are kept cold. Pasteurization is an option, as is fortifying with neutral spirit.

hello.
From what i understand with mead you have your primary until yeast settles some in the bottom then rack into clean carboy and put the airlock back on, then do again and again until the yeast is done settleing and your fermantation is done. I am on my 3rd racking and there is no bubbling and there isnt any yeast settling on the bottom im asumeing i am ready to bottle,drink,age.

 

[EndlessPurple]

hello.
From what i understand with mead you have your primary until yeast settles some in the bottom then rack into clean carboy and put the airlock back on, then do again and again until the yeast is done settleing and your fermantation is done. I am on my 3rd racking and there is no bubbling and there isnt any yeast settling on the bottom im asumeing i am ready to bottle,drink,age.

Isn't it better to age before you drink it rather than after?

 

[saramc]

hello.
From what i understand with mead you have your primary until yeast settles some in the bottom then rack into clean carboy and put the airlock back on, then do again and again until the yeast is done settleing and your fermantation is done. I am on my 3rd racking and there is no bubbling and there isnt any yeast settling on the bottom im asumeing i am ready to bottle,drink,age.

Bubbling is never to be used as an indication of fermentation status. You could have CO2 offgassing due to weather changes, etc. Your hydrometer is the ONLY tool which can tell you what is going on.
As far as how long to leave in primary it really depends on your recipe; if I have a traditional mead this typically produces fine lees from the get go and I may start that batch in carboy instead of bucket and opt not to rack until a month after my SG hit 1.000 or less. Then I may not rack again for 2-3 months, and repeat that cycle until I have a degassed wine and no sediment whatsoever.
A fruit mead, either juice or whole fruit, would react differently because my lee formation will be different and I do not like fruit lees for too long a time, gross vs fine I react differently to. Fruit meads are always started in buckets and I transfer to carboy and apply airlock when OG has dropped by 2/3 or on Day 10, whichever is soonest. Then when dry I rack and then I go to my every 2-3 month routine for racking. Always try to rack as little as possible once all gross lees are gone.

When there is NO sediment dropping for 30-60 days after the last racking, and the wine is degassed, and clear...then you can proceed to bottle if you must. The ready to drink it part is completely up to you, but I vote for at least one year in carboy after ferment complete before you consider bottling, three months to adjust for bottle shock and then pop a cork. Though you will come across some good early drinkers like Joe Mattiolli's Grape Pyment, many melomels, and other 'short meads'.

 

[manbrandon28]

Bubbling is never to be used as an indication of fermentation status. You could have CO2 offgassing due to weather changes, etc. Your hydrometer is the ONLY tool which can tell you what is going on.
As far as how long to leave in primary it really depends on your recipe; if I have a traditional mead this typically produces fine lees from the get go and I may start that batch in carboy instead of bucket and opt not to rack until a month after my SG hit 1.000 or less. Then I may not rack again for 2-3 months, and repeat that cycle until I have a degassed wine and no sediment whatsoever.
A fruit mead, either juice or whole fruit, would react differently because my lee formation will be different and I do not like fruit lees for too long a time, gross vs fine I react differently to. Fruit meads are always started in buckets and I transfer to carboy and apply airlock when OG has dropped by 2/3 or on Day 10, whichever is soonest. Then when dry I rack and then I go to my every 2-3 month routine for racking. Always try to rack as little as possible once all gross lees are gone.

When there is NO sediment dropping for 30-60 days after the last racking, and the wine is degassed, and clear...then you can proceed to bottle if you must. The ready to drink it part is completely up to you, but I vote for at least one year in carboy after ferment complete before you consider bottling, three months to adjust for bottle shock and then pop a cork. Though you will come across some good early drinkers like Joe Mattiolli's Grape Pyment, many melomels, and other 'short meads'.

I see thats pretty much what i do i just think you might be a little more patient than me ha ha. AS for the bubbles in the airlock not mattering i go back and forth, they go hand andn hand with fermenting and my test the bubbles start off fast and slowly die off just as my readings show the sugar content dropping fast then slowing down, in my closet brewing opinion ha ha bubbles matter if one of my meads has been bubbling hard for 10 days and then slowly starts top slow down for another 10 days and so on, i call that a good fermentation and my hydrometer has agreed. have a good weekend

 

[saramc]

manbrandon....the bubble monster will get you one day. Some yeasts are not aggressive offgassers. Many people have posted re: lack of airlock bubbles yet when they check with hydrometer they find the ferment is well underway.

 

[manbrandon28]

manbrandon....the bubble monster will get you one day. Some yeasts are not aggressive offgassers. Many people have posted re: lack of airlock bubbles yet when they check with hydrometer they find the ferment is well underway.

i know your right i use such simple and plane ingredients and i keep my temps good so i feel comfortable without testing a bunch but yeah one day im sure the bubbles will get me.

 

[manbrandon28]

manbrandon....the bubble monster will get you one day. Some yeasts are not aggressive offgassers. Many people have posted re: lack of airlock bubbles yet when they check with hydrometer they find the ferment is well underway.

heres a question
i have a total must amount of 5 gallon
15 lbs of honey
1 packet of d-47
2.5 tsp of energier
2.5 tsp of nutrient
stirred it heated it all that jazz

It has been fermenting for 12 days in a 72degree room my hydro reading is 2.0 but it is not sweet at all and taste good considering the time limit, what do you think about the 2.0 reading i would of figured with that reading after 12 days it wouild be realy sweet with 15 lbs of honey.

 

[Yooper]

heres a question
i have a total must amount of 5 gallon
15 lbs of honey
1 packet of d-47
2.5 tsp of energier
2.5 tsp of nutrient
stirred it heated it all that jazz

It has been fermenting for 12 days in a 72degree room my hydro reading is 2.0 but it is not sweet at all and taste good considering the time limit, what do you think about the 2.0 reading i would of figured with that reading after 12 days it wouild be realy sweet with 15 lbs of honey.

2.0? In the brix scale?

after 12 days, it shouldn't be sweet at all- it should be nearly finished fermenting. I'd definitely add some more nutrient, as it it's at 2.0 brix, it's rather sluggish.

 

[manbrandon28]

2.0? In the brix scale?

after 12 days, it shouldn't be sweet at all- it should be nearly finished fermenting. I'd definitely add some more nutrient, as it it's at 2.0 brix, it's rather sluggish.

2.0 on my hydrometor and how much nutrient do you think i should add, im new to the mead stuff but i drank a cup and i like it ill age it and call it good. but any advice helps thanksand it is not active visually at all no champagne bubbles inside the carboy and not even trying to bubble the carboy. thanks.

 

[01TRV]

As in 1.020? what was you O.G.

 

[manbrandon28]

As in 1.020? what was you O.G.

yeah 1.020 and it started bubbling again i think it just needed to get warm again. I did not add any nutrients im assumeing it will eat the rest of the sugars and work out just fine. just needs time, what do you recommend on the time limit of the second racking, i was going to let it sit for a month or so and keep an eye out for sediment in the bottom.

 

[Yooper]

yeah 1.020 and it started bubbling again i think it just needed to get warm again. I did not add any nutrients im assumeing it will eat the rest of the sugars and work out just fine. just needs time, what do you recommend on the time limit of the second racking, i was going to let it sit for a month or so and keep an eye out for sediment in the bottom.

You definitely nee some nutrients. Honey has very little.

I don't know about time limits- when it's at .990, it's done fermenting and then it will clear. Once it's clear, it's done.

But in the meantime, lack of nutrients may have a flavor impact and stall the fermentation.

 

[Inner10]

You definitely nee some nutrients. Honey has very little.

I don't know about time limits- when it's at .990, it's done fermenting and then it will clear. Once it's clear, it's done.

But in the meantime, lack of nutrients may have a flavor impact and stall the fermentation.

If my mead is any indication 15 pounds of honey in a 5gal batch with d47 your fg will be slightly above 1 and your mead will be semi sweet.

D47 needs nutrient and honey has very little...and pasteurized honey has less.

Your mead will be a sac mead since the yeast will poop out from alcohol before they chow down all the sugar...and that part of the fermentation really tapers off in speed.

I'd give it a little snack of nutrients then just leave it alone for a month.