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Sorbate and long term aging

Barrel Char Wood Products

Dwhite

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Aug 31, 2005
82
0
6
64
Does sorbate have any negative effect on mead flavor while aging?

I have a show mead I'd like to back-sweeten but if the flavor will suffer due to sorbate addition I'll leave it dry.

All the Best,
Dwhite
 

akueck

Certified Mead Mentor
Certified Mead Mentor
Jun 26, 2006
4,958
11
0
Ithaca, NY
Used in the appropriate doses, and assuming that you've knocked out any active critters, the sorbates shouldn't affect the flavor of your mead. If you don't sulfite/sterile filter first and there are a lot of hungry organisms still around, metabolized sorbate apparently smells like geranium. Blech.
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
There are some people who are sensitive to the taste of sorbate who may pick up a flavor change even at relatively low levels, but for most folks the taste does not become detectable until over about 150-200 mg/L. Some claim that with long aging it may become more noticeable, but I cannot say whether this is true or not.

What is true is that backsweetening without doing something to stop the yeast is asking for bottle bombs, and in most cases the sorbate is a good idea.
 
Barrel Char Wood Products

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