I've occasionally seen this advice. I was planning to stabilise my first brew using ABV, but I've seen the advice to add potassium metabisulphite each time a brew is disturbed (after primary) to prevent oxidisation. If I need it regardless (I like the romance of going minimal additives!) then I suppose I may as well use it in stabilising too?
Do you add Potassium metabisulphite every time you disturb your brew?
- Thread starter absolutepeguche
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Using k-sorb (potassium sorbate) and k-meta (potassium metabisulfite) is insurance against future bottle bombs. Most will use it. You may find your yeast tap out before they reach the ABV you want too, or you may want a lower ABV. Once the environment changes in the mead (temp, back-sweetening, etc.), then the yeast can sort of wake up and start going again.
It's totally possible to do mead without stabilization, and these adjuncts aren't an absolute guarantee against bottle bombs. K-meta does also help protect your mead, just like a lower PH and high ABV can.
I personally use k-meta each time I rack, and then filter+bottle. I don't use/add it when I'm just stirring a mead that is aging (e.g. if I'm doing sur lie aging).
It's totally possible to do mead without stabilization, and these adjuncts aren't an absolute guarantee against bottle bombs. K-meta does also help protect your mead, just like a lower PH and high ABV can.
I personally use k-meta each time I rack, and then filter+bottle. I don't use/add it when I'm just stirring a mead that is aging (e.g. if I'm doing sur lie aging).
Well actually, part of the appeal of using chemicals is wanting to hit a lower ABV for a more sessionable hydromel (it seems even the popular low ABV yeasts still hit at least 11%). I want to try a few different styles, as mead is very very uncommon here, so I'm not certain what styles and ABVs I like.
Thanks for the reply
When you say without stabilisation, do you just mean hitting ABV?
Thanks for the reply
When you say without stabilisation, do you just mean hitting ABV?
If you're going for a lower ABV, then try a beer or ale yeast instead of a wine/mead yeast. Do some research first to see if you can get a sense of how the different yeasts will ferment (different yeasts can give different flavor profiles in the final beverage). For these experiments, one gallon batches might be the way to go.
For what reason? I want to do something like a 6-8%, which is lower than any beer yeasts I've seen suggested for Mead anyway, so I would still have to stabilise with checmicals?
I do understand that different yeasts will adjust flavour profiles, though, so that'll be fun to explore anyway
I do understand that different yeasts will adjust flavour profiles, though, so that'll be fun to explore anyway
The alcohol tolerances of some of the beer yeasts are lower than that of wine yeasts, so the ferment will naturally peter out before you get too high an ABV. Windsor for exmaple, or SafBrew LA01 for an extreme version. This could leave you with residual sugars (but also a higher chance of restarting fermentation down the road). Another approach would be to use less honey in your must so that you can only get to a certain ABV.
This is the route that I use. AFAIK, any yeast you use is going to easily hit 6% and keep going if there is sugar to work on. The SafAle S-04 or US-05 are a 9-11% tolerant yeast and seem to be fairly neutral and will ferment slowly at the TOSNA recommended amounts (I now double these particular yeast amounts). Those "11% tolerant" have hit 13% and 15% for me.
These short meads can hit the 1/3 sugar break pretty fast, so you will want to stay on top of your hydrometer measurements or you run the risk of stressing the yeast with not enough nutrients and then ending up with a Sulphur smelling must.
If my nutrient add at 72 hours is close to the 1/3 break on a session mead, I'll usually just toss in the last nutrient with it and not worry about getting to it in time.
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Hi - I mean without using k-meta or k-sorb.Well actually, part of the appeal of using chemicals is wanting to hit a lower ABV for a more sessionable hydromel (it seems even the popular low ABV yeasts still hit at least 11%). I want to try a few different styles, as mead is very very uncommon here, so I'm not certain what styles and ABVs I like.
Thanks for the reply
