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Stabilizing a second time

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vulcan500rider

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 14, 2012
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Hi, All:

Not too long ago, I made a pair of ciders (http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20403)

The recipe for one called for a cold crash and stabilization at 1.017. I did so (Camden & Sorbate), but upon checking the SG, I've found that it continued to drop. I decided just to let it ferment out dry and then backsweeten, but I'm guessing that I'll probably have to do something prior to backsweetening to keep the ferment from restarting again.

So do I do both Campden and Sorbate again? Or just one? I shouldn't need to cold crash again, if I'm seeing static SG over a 1 week period or so, right?

Thoughts?
 
You shouldn't need to sorbate it again provided you used the correct amount the first time as it doesn't dissipate or get used up, but you might want more sulphites, as they do dissipate over time..

How much lower did it go? If it stopped before 1.000 then the yeast are probably inactive.
 
Chevette Girl said:
You shouldn't need to sorbate it again provided you used the correct amount the first time as it doesn't dissipate or get used up, but you might want more sulphites, as they do dissipate over time..

How much lower did it go? If it stopped before 1.000 then the yeast are probably inactive.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Chevette Girl; I would have just thrown this in my brewlog as a question, but I wasn't sure if you and FatBloke were still keeping an eye on it :)

It's still going, but it's definitely slower; it's dropped from 1.015 to 1.010 in the past week. I'm trying to be patient, but getting kinda antzy. Having a bit more alcohol in the mix isn't a big deal, but I'm assuming it will take longer to smooth out, as well--so much for a 4 week cyser...

I guess I'll wait until it goes dry and then hit it with sulphites again. I'm thinking the Sorbate should have been adequate at 1.5tsp for a gallon of cyser.

In retrospect, I'm wondering if one of two things didn't happen. Either my fridge door wasn't cold enough (old, not terribly effective fridge, and the door is the only place the jug would fit), or the pectic enzyme I added at racking somehow released more sugars and helped the yeast take off again--not that it helped clarify the cyser at all...

Live and learn, I guess.
 
vulcan500rider said:
Thanks, Chevette Girl; I would have just thrown this in my brewlog as a question, but I wasn't sure if you and FatBloke were still keeping an eye on it :)
Click to expand...

With the exception of my recent vacation, I read EVERYTHING... :)

About your specific issue, who knows... sometimes the initial sulphite dose doesn't knock the yeast out completely, so even after the sorbate keeps them from replicating, there can still be a few viable specimens in there continuing to do their thing.
 
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