On Jun 15, 9:26 pm, Madalch > wrote:
> ...
> What's wrong with sorbate? It seems that it's easier and more
> relaible than tryting to determine the exact alcohol theshold of a
> particular batch of yeast.

I have two problems with sorbate.

1) It's not 100% reliable at stopping fermentation. At least not when
used in the recommended quantities. If you sweeten after adding
sorbate and fermentation does restart, it can drag on for years,
literally. Believe me, I've seen this first hand.

2) Sorbate can impart a strange artificial flavor on a beverage. Not
everyone can taste this, but I can and I don't like it.

Since I tossed the sorbate, I've had no problems at all with renewed
fermentation. Calculating the sugar needed up front or at the end of
the process is easy to do and my end results (off-dry, semi-sweet,
etc.) have been exactly what I was shooting for.

Greg