Beer Forum

Hi all,
I am planning on making a cyser with some fresh apple cider. The people who are providing the cider recommend adding sorbate to the cider as soon as I get it to prevent any wild yeast fermentation (unless you are aiming to do a hard cider with the wild yeast). But wont that sorbate interfere with pitched yeast once I start the cyser fermentation? Any advice on this or any general tips on cyser (this is my first batch) would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
Best,
Keith

DO NOT ADD SORBATE!!!


Sorbate keeps yeast from multiplying, but not fermenting. So unless you plan on making a jinormous starter, or pitching on a yeast cake dont. If you not delay in adding your yeast they will do fine on there own on dominating the ferment.

YOU HAVE TO ADD SORBATE OR PASTEURIZE THE JUICE UNLESS YOU WANT A WILD FERMENTATION!

I'd use a dry yeast, follow the pitching rates winemakers use, and pitch enough to overcome the sorbate.

I use potassium Metabisulfate, my understanding with this is it kills the yeast, however, drops out of solution fairly quickly so it will kill the wild yeast, but following the directions it will completely drop out within 24 hours of being placed into suspension.

CRBrewHound wrote:I use potassium Metabisulfate, my understanding with this is it kills the yeast, however, drops out of solution fairly quickly so it will kill the wild yeast, but following the directions it will completely drop out within 24 hours of being placed into suspension.

This is acceptable. Its what you do when you are making wine potassium/&sodium Metabisulfate release SO2 which kills wild yeast. Beer & wine yeast are not all that affected by it when you follow the directions.

QUOTES:

"Sometimes orchards add potassium sorbate to their cider, which is a preservative that prevents mold and bacterial growth. It does not kill yeast and is not a poison or fungicide. Rather, potassium sorbate prevents yeast from multiplying. And since yeast need to be multiplying constantly to survive, potassium sorbate is a death sentence."
REF

read here http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/glossary.asp

You would be better off knowing what these chemicals are before you use them.

Hell if you gotta KILLemALL Pasturize 161 °F for 15–20 seconds or 145 °F for 30 minutes