Another noob question

[BFR]

So now I know how to check my gravity.... I have my ginger wine where I think it should be at .940, taste is where I want it maybe a little dry but i'm happy with it.... I used ec1118 yeast so i know it will be dry.

question there is still active airlock activity so I assume the yeast is still cranking along if I leave it it will get dryer won't it?

If I want to stop it where it is I can use k meta to kill the yeast then rack off??

am I better to let it go till i can confirm that the ferment has finished (stable fg over a week of readings ?) then rack it off??

hopefully I will get the hang of this brewing thing and I won't have to ask so many questions

 

[brazedowl]

To make sure everything is done before I bottle... I normally will dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of sorbate (or in your case k-meta), along with 5 crushed campden tablets (protects from oxidation). I dissolve this in one or two cups of the wine in question and put into a new carboy. I then rack onto it so that it gets evenly distributed.

Let it sit a week after that with an airlock to make sure you have stopped the fermentation. Then bottle. :rockin:

 

[DoctorCAD]

I doubt that your SG is .940...
.994, maybe.

 

[Yooper]

I doubt that your SG is .940...
.994, maybe.

Agreed. It's not .940, and your hydrometer doesn't go that low anyway.

If it's .994, it's not going to go much lower. The lowest it can go is .990, but it might be finished now. I'd let it sit and clear and then consider stabilizing and sweetening later on, once it's clear and no longer dropping lees.

Sorbate doesn't kill yeast, but instead inhibits yeast reproduction. So racking onto it now probably won't do anything anyway, since you have plenty of yeast in suspension. But if you wait for it to clear, and stop dropping lees, then stabilize it with the sorbate, it will not restart. Sulfites (campden) do NOT kill yeast, that's why winemakers successfully use sulfite as an antioxidant. If you used enough campden/sulfite to stop the yeast, the wine would be undrinkable due to the incredibly large amount you'd need. So you need sorbate if you're sweetening a wine.

Since it can't go much lower than it is now (if .994 is correct), I'd wait.

 

[BFR]

cool as.... yea it's .994 not .940 didnt read it correct.... will rack off out of my primary and into a carboy and leave it to clear.

cheers for the advice

 

[Honda88]

i usually just go by the rule if its under 1.000 it gets racked to the carboy, it doesn't have to be completely done fermenting to rack it as long as you dont have foam problems.

 

[saramc]

To make sure everything is done before I bottle... I normally will dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of sorbate (or in your case k-meta), along with 5 crushed campden tablets (protects from oxidation). I dissolve this in one or two cups of the wine in question and put into a new carboy. I then rack onto it so that it gets evenly distributed.

Let it sit a week after that with an airlock to make sure you have stopped the fermentation. Then bottle. :rockin:

I am confused about the statement above... "1/2 tablespoon sorbate (or in your ase k-meta), along with 5 crushed campden tablets". Have I taken something out of context?

Sorbate and k-meta are not the same thing. K-meta and potassium based Campden tabs serve the same purpose, though many tablets have a filler/binding agent that can cause a haze when you use them.

Make sure you adjust your hydrometer reading according to the temperature (each hydrometer has a temperature setting for calibration purposes). If your SG is less than 1.000 and you have activity in airlock it is likely barometric pressure changes and/or CO2 that is the cause.

And do not forget, if you plan to back-sweeten and will be using a fermentable sugar you must stabilize with a combination of sorbate PLUS k-meta/Campden---these two additives work together to prevent refermentation.