Sulfites and potassium sorbate when back-sweetening and fortifying?

[morunas]

Hey everyone,

I've started with the following 20L must:
- 15L water
- 7 kg honey
- OG 1.112
- 5g of dry portwine yeast (Kitzinger Reinhefe, Portwein)
- yeast nutrient q.b. (no step feeding)

After 4 weeks low temp. primary (~16C), SG was read at 1.002, ~15-16% ABV, then racked and already flavored with a bit of smoked black tea and chocolate mint. Curiously, it tastes semi-sweet though at 1.002 SG.

I want to backsweeten with just a bit more honey to around FG of 1.007 and fortify up to 17% with 0.8L of 42% ABV brandy.

The yeast package only stated "high alc. tolerance" but online I found some saying tolerance 12-15%.

I absolutely do not want to restart fermentation or go bubbly, and I want to bottle using normal wine bottles (not pressure sustaining).

So, given that, should I add the sulfites plus potassium sorbate duo?

Cheers!

 

[Miraculix]

Hey everyone,

I've started with the following 20L must:
- 15L water
- 7 kg honey
- OG 1.112
- 5g of dry portwine yeast (Kitzinger Reinhefe, Portwein)
- yeast nutrient q.b. (no step feeding)

After 4 weeks low temp. primary (~16C), SG was read at 1.002, ~15-16% ABV, then racked and already flavored with a bit of smoked black tea and chocolate mint. Curiously, it tastes semi-sweet though at 1.002 SG.

I want to backsweeten with just a bit more honey to around FG of 1.007 and fortify up to 17% with 0.8L of 42% ABV brandy.

The yeast package only stated "high alc. tolerance" but online I found some saying tolerance 12-15%.

I absolutely do not want to restart fermentation or go bubbly, and I want to bottle using normal wine bottles (not pressure sustaining).

So, given that, should I add the sulfites plus potassium sorbate duo?

Cheers!

I would let it sit for one or two more weeks and take a reading again. If it's still 1.02, there shouldn't be any reason for the yeast to restart fermentation if you add more sugar. If you add more alcohol, there's even less chance of restarting fermentation.

Why are you fortifying it?

 

[MightyMosin]

My general stance is to always use the K-Meta... The K-Sorbate is up to you but I generally consider it mandatory if I'm going to use any fermentable sugar while back sweetening.

 

[Atcvet87]

My general stance is to always use the K-Meta... The K-Sorbate is up to you but I generally consider it mandatory if I'm going to use any fermentable sugar while back sweetening.

I fermented my cider with a champagne yeast and have already racked it for secondary fermentation. Once fermentation is finished, I may backsweeten it, but I'm trying to make sure I do it correctly. Will I need to use both K-meta and K sorbate? If so, do I add the meta first, then wait to add sorbate?

 

[MightyMosin]

You use the K-Meta to make it food stable and help inhibit oxidation. You add the K-Sorbate to prevent the yeast from budding and replicating which would start fermentation up again.

You can add both at the same time but you will want to allow the K-Sorbate a minimum of 24 hours before back sweetening. When you bottle, you would use the K-Meta again in ~ half the amount that you originally used.

The amount of K-Meta and K-Sorbate is dependent upon the pH of your mead.