So I have approx 15 gallons of cider, it just finished its primary ferment and later today I'm going to rack it to my secondary carboy. I was woundering since I'm going to be kegging this batch and force carbing it, could I add potassium sorbate and a few campden tablets when I rack it. I usually rack my ciders 3 or 4 times for clarity but I figured if I add the sorbate and campden now I might not need to rack it a 4th time, what does every body think.
Secondary Ferment
- Thread starter gx37987
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Sorbate only "works" if the cider is completely and totally clear, since it doesn't kill yeast and only inhibits yeast reproduction. If the cider isn't clear, and has hundreds of billions of suspended yeast in it, the sorbate won't do anything.
But I use campden at every other racking as an antioxidant.
citytransplant
Active Member
Just to be "clear" (pun intended), you don't recommend adding any campden when you first transfer from your primary fermentation vessel to secondary container(s), only at the racking that follows and every other subsequent racking?
And BTW, I didn't know that sorbate was ineffective when it's target batch isn't clear. Thanks for that information. You may have saved me from some cran-apple bottle bombs.
I use campden (sulfite) when I mix up the must, right before adding yeast. I add it at intervals after that, generally at every other racking and at bottling, to approximate 50 ppm or so.
