Sweetening whilst carbonating in bottles?

[BrewDan]

I am about to transfer one of my experiments into bottles, but had a thought that it may need sweetening.... I also want to carbonate it though

If the fermented 'koolaid' needs to be sweeter, can I add something like a non fermentable sweetner to the batch, and prime 500ml bottles with a teaspoon of sugar? Would this still carbonate or would the sweetner kill the yeast off?

I was also thinking if its not possible to sweeten and carbonate then I would add a campden tablet to the batch with some sugar, then bottle them, would this stop them fermenting further, or would they end up slowly fermenting again in the bottles, carbonating/drying out the end product

Silly questions I know, as I have been home brewing for around 2 years (I think) but I have only ever made kits and TC so I have just followed instructions

Cheers :-)

 

[shocker]

The CTs will not stop the ferment , they might slow it up as you suggest , but you would need something like Potassium Sorbate to STOP the yeast . I cant see a problem with batch sweetening with a non fermentable . Along the same lines I cannot see a problem with batch priming at the same time , I dont know of any artificials that suppress yeast action , but Im sure someone out there knows more....they'd be hard pushed to know less ! Than me , that is .... :whistle:

....and if you are worried about having enough yeast present to prime you can always add some as batch or a grain of yeast compound to each bottle , as I used to do . More recently , following advice on here I have found there is generally enough yeast left to prime even after fining and settling ....as long as no yeast killer like Pot Sorb has been used .

Does that help at all ? I have a heavy head cold and am a bit more dense than usual tonight..... :hmm:

 

[bobsbeer]

You can use a non fermentable sweetner such as Splenda. You can carbonate normally but splenda won't ferment leaving it as sweet as you want. You may want to try a sample and then batch sweeten rather than do it a bottle at a time. If you add sugar it will ferment and if in the bottle add co2 pressure.

 

[Devonhomebrew]

Spelda is not very nice use lactose as its milk sugar it cannot be fermented by yeast.

 

[BrewDan]

Cheers guy, very quick replies! I just tried the stuff, its actually as sweet as I think it needs to be, maybe a little too sweet. Strong though as it burns as it goes down.

SG was around 1.070 - 1.080
FG was just under 1.020

It's in a demijohn filled to about shoulder height, I think I will move it to another and top it up a little with water and leave to clear as it seems a little too strong at the moment !! :shock:

Will try again in a week or so, then set about bottling.

Cheers again

 

[Moley]

The CTs will not stop the ferment , they might slow it up as you suggest , but you would need something like Potassium Sorbate to STOP the yeast.

Wrong :nono:

Sorbate will not stop a fermentation.

CTs will kill many of the yeasties and give the rest a serious headache.

Sorbate will prevent any survivors from reproducing and starting up a new colony.


In answer to the original question, prime to carbonate and sweeten with a non-fermentable.


Mrs. Mole has just bought some of that Truvia stuff which they have been advertising quite extensively. It seems pretty good to me, with no nasty after-tastes, but I haven't tried it yet in a wine.

 

[BrewDan]

If you get round to trying it in wine Mr mole would you mind posting your findings?

I will update my koolaid post In a few weeks, but so far only advice would be not to do it, its not too good!

As for carbonation, given its so sweet I will prime the bottles with sugar and carbonate... If I needed to sweeten and carbonate I'd go with the sweetener route

Thanks the the help with this one, got the answer very quickly :grin:

 

[shocker]

Moley , with the greatest possible respect , the statement I made was based on what I have gathered here on this site . The general thrust , when this subject has come , up has been that sulphite will stun a yeast and not kill or stop it , that sorbate is needed . I , however , am glad to be corrected .

 

[Crastney]

Maybe you should have added "as well" to the following...

The CTs will not stop the ferment , they might slow it up as you suggest , but you would need something like Potassium Sorbate AS WELLto STOP the yeast.

 

[shocker]

Thank you Crastney , that was the point I was trying to make but in the depths of a thick cold I didnt make myself clear :thumb: