Re: Why doesn't sulfiting must kill yeast, too?

Re: Why doesn't sulfiting must kill yeast, too?

Sulfites go through an evaporative dissolution in your must over a 24 our period and have integrated and settled into your must within that time. They will have been sufficiently dilluted down to a point of not inhibiting your fermentation at the end of a 24 hour period.

Why pray tell did you sulfite your blackberry juice? Was it raw and unprocessed, or were you just acting on what someone else advised?

cheers,

Oskaar

Re: Why doesn't sulfiting must kill yeast, too?

Hey BA,

I forgot to mention that you can actually rack on top of your fruit without sulfiting it if the ABV is 12% or above. It's not a money-back guarantee that you won't get an infection, but I've been doing it for years in mead, wine and beer making without problems. The only time I've really had any questionable results was with a black-cherry porter I made a couple years back and it was really questionable as to whether the fruit caused it, or one of my cellar-rat-ape-buddies that tend to show up while I'm out of the house and thieve off samples without following the stringent aseptic technique I use. It's a toss up on that one.

Anyhow, like I mentioned, as long as you're at about 12% ABV you should be golden. That way you don't have to sulfite if you don't want to.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar