sorbate and potassium?

Shm0 · Oct 25, 2010

i have a 1 gallon batch that i racked and add pineapple banana and cinnamon
before the racking the S.G was 0.97 and now it's about 1.02

is it ok to add now the sorbate and potassium with the fruit inside
or should i rack it again before adding them?
(basically i want to rack the fruit and backsweetning in a week or two)

Medsen Fey · Oct 25, 2010

The sorbate and sulfite work better when the mead is nice and clear. You might want to get if off all the fruit and let it settle a bit first.

Shm0 · Oct 25, 2010

ok thanks
so i wait with them for now

another thing...how much time i should wait before adding them and bottling?

Medsen Fey · Oct 25, 2010

Long enough to make sure they work. I prefer several weeks at a minimum.

Shm0 · Oct 25, 2010

oh really...i thought it's something like hours or days...

AToE · Oct 25, 2010

The key to that too is weeks after adding the stabilizers, if 2 or 3 weeks later the SG has not moved at all then you should be safe.

Shm0 · Nov 4, 2010

ok got it..

now i wondring about carbonation
can u carbonate the mead after adding the chemicals
or it is even possible so carbonate and use these stabilizers?

PitBull · Nov 4, 2010

Shm0 said:
ok got it..

now i wondring about carbonation
can u carbonate the mead after adding the chemicals
or it is even possible so carbonate and use these stabilizers?

Once you add sorbate to inhibit the yeast, the only way is to use forced carbonation. That involves putting the mead in a sealed container, such as a corny keg, and pressurizing the keg with CO2.

AToE · Nov 4, 2010

That is correct, your yeast can't do any carbonating for you if they're dead (and I wouldn't ever try to carbonate something that is still sweet, only dry things, or things with unfermentable sugars/sweeteners should ever be bottle conditioned (carb'd by yeast)).

Chevette Girl · Nov 5, 2010

Shm0 said:
ok got it..

now i wondring about carbonation
can u carbonate the mead after adding the chemicals
or it is even possible so carbonate and use these stabilizers?

Kind of. If you want a sweetened carbonated mead or just want to stabilize it, ferment it dry, prime and bottle it in screw-top bottles or something, give it a couple weeks to carbonate, then mix up the sorbate and sulphite with sugar and put a measured amount in the bottom of another batch of sanitized bottles the same size as what you use before. Chuck it all in hte freezer just until ice crystals start forming, then you can surprisingly safely pour off the carbonated mead onto the sugar (if sweetening) and chemicals, then cap it, invert a couple times to mix, and you're good. Near-freezing keeps the CO2 dissolved while you're pouring it from one place to the next, and pouring if off the lees decreases the amount of yeast left so the sulphites and sorbates should do the job, although you'd have to calculate how much of what goes into the bottom of each bottle based on the volume ... I think that'll be the hardest part... that and finding room in the freezer...

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sorbate and potassium?

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