Campden Tablets

(That's water to the rest of us!) Beer is about 95% water, so if you want to discuss water treatment, filtering etc this is the place to do it!
Hoppkins

Campden Tablets

Post by Hoppkins » Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:33 pm

So when you bottle you add these to the fermented beer and it stops infection whilst bottling?

I bought some as they were fairly cheap as i have seen many people saying how useful they are.

maxashton

Post by maxashton » Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:47 pm

Campden tablets are sodium metabisulphate. THey're used when bottling wine to stop them from fermenting further and popping the corks.

Wouldn't it do the same to beer?

artofbrewing.co.uk tell me to add one crushed campden tablet to the wort ten minutes before pitching yeast to neutralize free chlorine and chloramines..

Hoppkins

Post by Hoppkins » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:12 pm

I think i've answered one of my questions. It seems i never noticed but these tablets are just sodium metabisulphate in tablet form?

So they can be used where you would normally use sodium meta...

Is adding them to fermented beer ok wont the chemicals in it taint the beer or make it nasty?

maxashton

Post by maxashton » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:20 pm

I think it breaks down rapidly after application, cause it reacts with the aformentioned chlorines and chloramines.

I crushed 5 and put into a mostly-full demijohn and the smell dissipated in a few hours.

Ps: they seem to work OK in wine!

steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:34 pm

maxashton wrote: artofbrewing.co.uk tell me to add one crushed campden tablet to the wort ten minutes before pitching yeast to neutralize free chlorine and chloramines..
I'd say that's wrong as by the time you have wort then the chlorine has already reacted with the wort to give off-tastes. Metabisulfate also kills yeast so addding just before adding yeast is a bit wierd too

maxashton

Post by maxashton » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:53 pm

Sounds logical, doc.

I just figured it woudl break down pretty quickly when it was actually in the wort, and that was what the 10 minute lag time was for.

I DID read on wiki that it was good for neutralizing chlorine in drinking water, so presumed this was correct.

That said, i didn't do so with my current batch.

steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:23 pm

maxashton wrote: I DID read on wiki that it was good for neutralizing chlorine in drinking water, so presumed this was correct.
It is but I'd treat the water before you use it (either for mashing or for making up a kit) rather than half way through.

maxashton

Post by maxashton » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:26 pm

Fair dues.
Thanks for the advice, Steve.

Hoppkins

Post by Hoppkins » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:35 am

Gotcha but for sanitising odd sods it would be ok with a few tablets in some water?

steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:45 am

I'd probably use a teeny dash of iodophor in a pint of water instead. Sodium Met isn't that great a sterilant (in fact it's a bit rubbish). It's good at keeping sanitised stuff sanitised but not so good at actually doing the biz itself.

Hoppkins

Post by Hoppkins » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:03 am

Boh!

Only sanitiser wilko have is Sodium Metalbisulphate. Does it pay to use MORE of this stuff than stated then?

maxashton

Post by maxashton » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:07 am

I think it's ineffective against certain bacterium, you'd have to ask Dr Flack for that.

steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:36 am

Sodium met generally only stuns things - it's not that good at killing them.

Iodophor is cheap and can be got from the chemist - but you may need to order it. It's called something like 'Aqueous Povidone-Iodine for post-operative sites'. It's the 10% version and is not the mouthwash nor the alcoholic version.

maxashton

Post by maxashton » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:04 am

Can you suggest a site, Steve?
A fiver for a tiny bottle rankles a bit.

steve_flack

Post by steve_flack » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:06 am

Seriously, go to a chemist. Get half a liter for £3-4

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