Used Potassium Metabisulfite & Potassium Sorbate - should I still pasteurize?

[J2W2]

Hi,

I'll be bottling a hard root beer next weekend. I used Potassium Metabisulfite & Potassium Sorbate before I backsweetened, and it's currently carbing in a keg at 35 degrees, so it's fine for now.

I should have around thirty 16-ounce swing-tops when I bottle. I have room for some in my little beer fridge, but I'll need to store some at room temp. Do you think it would be advisable to pasteurize the ones I store warm, just to be safe? I've never pasteurized before, but I have a sous vide, so it should be pretty easy to hit and hold them at temperature.

Thanks for your help!

 

[rsquared]

People do backsweetened still meads all the time without any heat pasteurization, just using the same things you did. And those are rarely kept at refrigerator temps.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

How carbonated are you going? I haven't done this but I did read another thread with soda being too carbonated for swing tops. Blew during pasteurization.

 

[J2W2]

How carbonated are you going? I haven't done this but I did read another thread with soda being too carbonated for swing tops. Blew during pasteurization.

I've got the keg set at 15 psi. I'll be using a Blichmann Beer Gun to bottle. I haven't used it before, but I'm sure I'll lose at least a little pressure during bottling.

I wonder if the thread you read involved bottle conditioning. I've read that you have to monitor the pressure fairly carefully with sodas as they have way more sugar available than bottle conditioned beer.

I'd be fine leaving things as they are if I could be sure the yeast will remain dormant. I just don't want to end up with any bottle bombs.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

Your probably right about bottle conditioning. I think you'll be fine but I've never back sweetened myself. I tried hard soda years ago and didn't like my attempts. I was bottled conditioning.
I do bottle my still mead in beer bottles and only chill just before serving and have never had any co2, if that helps.