potassium sorbate?

[dorado]

I plan to make my first mead...a cyser. All of the apple cider at the grocery store has potassium sorbate(preservative). Will it inhibit the yeast and prevent fermentation? I will check our local farmers market for cider as well, but expect everything will have potassium sorbate. Anyone have any experience with this?

[Ben Brewcat]

Good job reding the label; you're correct. It may pose a problem. If the sorbate (cider) is diluted enough it may let fermentation start, but I'd keep looking. There are a good number of apple juices or ciders out there without preservatives... I think someone recently posted Motts? In a town your size SOMEONE has a sorbate-free cider; all the chains here carry something that'd work. But then I live in Boulder county CO where "chemicals" are considered tangible evidince of evil ;) .

[Aspera]

Pasturized store bought cider works if you don't have access to fresh juices.

[dorado]

Ben... are you saying I can have a good results with apple juice as well as apple cider?

Aspera.... have you used pasteurized cider that contains sorbate also or just pasteurized?

I will look a little harder for some that has no sorbate. Thanks for your replys!!

[nursebee]

Hello Dale (took me a while when I saw yor location).

Commercial cider gave me a headache enough to think I was having a stroke!

I made an award winning cyser using frozen concentrate apple juice as about half the fermentable sugar.

[Aspera]

I have fermented with both pasteurized and sorbated cider. I was not happy with the sorbate treated stuff, but pastuerization does not affect the flavor much.

BTW Wyeast Sweet mead has zero tolerance for sulfite residues as I found out last week. I had to repitch with Narbonne. I hope that it tastes OK!