A "Stiff" Country Time Pink Lemonade?

Hey All,

Brewed up 5 gallons of pink lemonade according to the directions on the mix-jug, added about 3 pounds of table sugar, boiled the whole mess and dumped it in the carboy with some Safale S-05 I had started up.
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When I got up this morning, no activity. After further searching, I find that Country Time has potassium sorbate in the mix. BUT! I find that my airlock bubbles every so often when I checked it this evening. Not what you'd call speedy fermentation, but something's up.
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Should I let it go or dump the whole batch? LHBS goddess says I'm done for, time to mix up a new batch without the K2S04.

I have a starter at 1.040 with 2.5tsp yeast nutrient and a packet of Lalvin 71B-1122 sitting in a 1.5L vodka bottle, yet to see activity there either--but it's destined for a version of Yooper's Hard Lemonade, depending on how "free" my 6.5gal carboy is tomorrow.
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Any input?

Hi Johnsmith1212, and welcome. An interesting issue: what is going on in the airlock. Here's my take - for what it's worth - but first a little back story. I started a few batches of mead last night - experimenting with varietals and so I am using very small quantities of honey in small quantities of water. I warmed (not boiled) the water to help "dissolve" the honey (AND to help bring the must closer to the temperature at which I was re-hydrating the yeast) and while I was waiting for the yeast to re-hydrate so there is no significant colony of yeast in the must except for the wild yeast which by diluting the honey I released, I noticed the airlock bubble every minute or so. My assumption was that as the must cooled the air in the very large headroom contracted and that contraction pulled in air from the room forcing it through the airlock. Might this be the cause of the action you witnessed?

And all that said, the only way for you to know whether to toss your must and start again is to measure the gravity. If it has not shifted a hair since you pitched the yeast and does not drop over the next few days then I suspect that the sorbate is doing it's job. Others on this forum may disagree but I really don't think the effort involved in neutralizing sorbates is worth the cost in time and frustration.

Since sorbate prevents the yeast from multiplying, you may be seeing the activity from your starter. I doubt that will be enough to fully ferment your must.

for what it's worth you might look into skeeter pee, you can always add country time powder at the end as flavoring.
Mike