Prevention of yeast.

[dhammers91]

I am looking to back sweeten a batch of cider. I want to use cider concentrate, and I want to keg it. I will eventually bottle out of the kegs well. I am wondering if there is anything other than pasteurizing or campdem tablets that would stop fermentation? I have lost faith in campdem when I used 5 tablets on 5 gallons of fresh pressed cider to prevent wild yeast from taking over, and after 72 hours it was fermenting away by a wild strain.., I also would like to find a way around pasteurizing every bottle I fill out of the keg, but if that's my only choice then so be it...

Any thoughts ideas or suggestions?

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

After fermentation starts to slow up, use potassium sorbate. Works for me every time. I just add the sorbate to a secondary and transfer. I also add campden tablets, mainly to help prevent too much oxidation. I've also heard of people cold crashing with good results.

 

[yarghble]

I'm assuming you refrigerate your kegs? That should take care of the problem for you.

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

I'm assuming you refrigerate your kegs? That should take care of the problem for you.

Unfortunately this is not completely correct. It will slow but not stop fermentation. The best route from what I've read is to use both cam tabs and the potassium sorbate.

Or less accurately, you could cold crash, rack to secondary sit for a month, cold crash and rack to keg for a year before back sweetening to hope that all the yeast died off during that time... I only mention it because I had a cider I did like this and it worked. But it was also more of an apple wine so there was more alcohol to help kill off the yeast.

 

[dhammers91]

Unfortunately this is not completely correct. It will slow but not stop fermentation. The best route from what I've read is to use both cam tabs and the potassium sorbate. Or less accurately, you could cold crash, rack to secondary sit for a month, cold crash and rack to keg for a year before back sweetening to hope that all the yeast died off during that time... I only mention it because I had a cider I did like this and it worked. But it was also more of an apple wine so there was more alcohol to help kill off the yeast.

How much potassium sorbate is recommended for 5 gallons?

Also, can the cam tabs attribute a bitter flavor? I added 5 for 5 gallons of my last batch of cider and let it sit on the tabs for a couple weeks. When I transferred and taste tested it, it had a very bitter taste to it...