Age of Additives

[JoaniB]

Hi all,

This past weekend, I bought a lot of supplies from someone who would not be making wine anymore.

Last night, I finally inventoried everything, and realized I'd either won a jackpot or stumbled upon a wine-making pot o' gold.

Amongst everything was a bunch of additives - bentonite, isinglass, potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulphide, Lalvin EC-1118, yeast nutrient, yeast energizer, glycerine, wine conditioner, tartaric and citric acid, etc.

I'm just wondering if any of these lose their potency or usability after a length of time? I'm planning to use kit wines for now, so presumably everything I need comes in the kits, but is it worth saving these for any future use?

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Some loose their potency others are still good. The bentonite, glycerine, tartaric and citric acids, and K-meta will all be good.
Check the date on the yeast packet, that may give you a clue of the age of the isinglass and conditioner ( the conditioner should be a golden yellow, the isinglass should be milky clear).
Get rid of the sorbate, it only lasts about 2 to 3 years. The energizer and nutrient will last about 4 years if sealed and dry.
Conrgads on the find.

 

[JoaniB]

Thanks! I'm still surprised at just how ... everything there is! It definitely saves me a bunch and some worry.

Cheers!

 

[barryjo]

Some loose their potency others are still good. The bentonite, glycerine, tartaric and citric acids, and K-meta will all be good.
Check the date on the yeast packet, that may give you a clue of the age of the isinglass and conditioner ( the conditioner should be a golden yellow, the isinglass should be milky clear).
Get rid of the sorbate, it only lasts about 2 to 3 years. The energizer and nutrient will last about 4 years if sealed and dry.
Conrgads on the find.

A question on storage. I buy 1/2 or 1lb packages of nutrient, energizer and others. When I first open them to use, I then put them in appropriate sized plastic jars. ie: peanut butter, mayonaise, etc.
Is this conducive to long(er) shelf life??

 

[Kivanc]

I want to try making a yeast starter with my remaining yeast. I've been storing my yeast energizer (Crosby & Baker) in the refrigerator for a week. I hope that I am doing the right thing(?)

I would rehydrate the yeast in 50 ml warm water for 15 minutes. In the meantime, I would add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of yeast energizer into the 2 cups of warm water. After 15 minutes, I would pour the rehydrated yeast into the mixture.

Am I suppose to pitch the yeast starter into the must after 4 hours or should I wait for 12 hours?