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spg1954

Junior
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Feb 21, 2022
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Location
Minnesota
So i'm 7 months into this obsession, many dollars lighter, taking extra vitamin D from spending too much time in the cellar, breathing C02 and yeast farts (and liking it!) and have gotten in a bind. Currently have about 28 gallons in various states of finish, some wine, some different meade. I've managed to keep some loose (meaning whimsical and not very thorough) notes attached to the fermenters to keep track. It's worked out pretty good so far. However, came across the notes on my 3 gal batch of Elderberry meade. Up to this point it was tasting really great, hint of sweetness with fairly bold Elderberry. Musta been a little too much C02 in the little room when i last wrote entry on the note. It read: SG 1.002, racked (with a prior date), K-meta, ? Pectin enzyme? Sorbate?. The question marks are verbatim. Not sure what i was thinking at the time, whether i went ahead and added those or what.
My question to my much more learned and experienced cellar dwellers is: Do i now (2 weeks have passed since the entry) add those elements assuming i didn't, or would bad things happen if i end up double dosing?
I will go outside and suck in some clean air and sunshine while i await your response.
 
So i'm 7 months into this obsession, many dollars lighter, taking extra vitamin D from spending too much time in the cellar, breathing C02 and yeast farts (and liking it!) and have gotten in a bind. Currently have about 28 gallons in various states of finish, some wine, some different meade. I've managed to keep some loose (meaning whimsical and not very thorough) notes attached to the fermenters to keep track. It's worked out pretty good so far. However, came across the notes on my 3 gal batch of Elderberry meade. Up to this point it was tasting really great, hint of sweetness with fairly bold Elderberry. Musta been a little too much C02 in the little room when i last wrote entry on the note. It read: SG 1.002, racked (with a prior date), K-meta, ? Pectin enzyme? Sorbate?. The question marks are verbatim. Not sure what i was thinking at the time, whether i went ahead and added those or what.
My question to my much more learned and experienced cellar dwellers is: Do i now (2 weeks have passed since the entry) add those elements assuming i didn't, or would bad things happen if i end up double dosing?
I will go outside and suck in some clean air and sunshine while i await your response.
I am not sure about the sorbate but I think you should be fine adding kmeta and pectic enzyme.

I have read that some people can taste the sorbate, and I imagine that potentially double dosing would make the taste more prominent. Time is your friend here - if you bulk age for 9 to 12 months before back sweetening, the yeast will be dead and won't start fermenting again when you add the sugar to backsweeten.

If it tastes fine and does not need backsweetening, you don't need sorbate at all.
 
Thank you for the welcome! Your advice seems sound and i think that is the route i am going to go. Now to find the proper sized vessel(s) to avoid headspace. Always an issue...
 
My understanding is that the metabisulfates are the anti-oxidant preservatives and the sorbate is a yeast and bacteria growth inhibitor? At this point, i am more interested in preventing growths and degradation before i age it.
 

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