Bottling and bottle bombs

Bottle bombs seem to be a much bigger concern with cider than in beer brewing. Why is that?

I am about ready to bottle my first one gallon batch of cider and I would like to get some carbonation. My plan was to add about three tablespoons of corn sugar and then bottle away. Just how worried about bottle bombs should I be?

I don't know the volumes that a cider is carbonated to, but unless that is close to the strength of the bottle it should not cause any concern.

Bottle bombs are usually caused by 1) bottling before fermentation has finished. 2) using too much priming sugar. 3)infection which causes further fermentation after bottling.

If you don't have one of these problems you should not have any bottle bombs.

^ # 4 back sweetening with a fermentable sweetener and not pasteurizing in time or at all.

If you don't reach terminal gravity in your brew, be it cider or beer, you will most likely get bottle bombs. There's more discussion about bombs in cider because people are wanting to retain sweetness in the final product. Since fruit must contains mostly simple sugars the yeast eats everything. Beer contains complex sugars that can't be broken down by the yeast so it usually reaches terminal gravity higher than fruit must.

A typical terminal gravity for beer is around 1.012 or so. (because of the complex sugars the yeast can't eat) Terminal gravity for a cider is around 1.000. Backsweetening cider can really only be done by sorbating and force carbing or stove top pasteurization.

My advice is don't put cider into bottles with a specific gravity above 1.005 without using one of the methods above.

In 30+ years I have only had one bottle go! I'm glad I wasn't holding it !
I have to presume it was a problem bottle !
Don't take risks with this stuff do your homework on what you are brewing.
I have not yet found an insurance policy that includes damages due to home brew !

Its the sweetness that people want without taking the time to understand what the brewing process does to simple sugars. They have a woodchuck and say, man that was great time to make some homebrew. Then they see backsweetening and don't read the sticky and don't use a formula for the carving sugar.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

Randzor , do it again please for clarity, i haven't got the jist of your post ?

People want a sweet cider. It is impossible without pasteurization. But alot of the bomb stories you hear about are from people not understanding the process needed for a sweet cider vs a sweet beer or wine.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

Randzor said:

People want a sweet cider. It is impossible without pasteurization. But alot of the bomb stories you hear about are from people not understanding the process needed for a sweet cider vs a sweet beer or wine.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

Click to expand...

I understand and understood the process but I made a mistake. I know it is hard to fathom people making mistakes in "brewing" ciders but I'm sure I'm not the first.

Hello I wasn't calling anyone out. I was actually trying to give a summary without having to type alot... I hatemobile keyboards.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

Well, I want a dry cider, and when I put it into the secondary it was a touch under 1.000, so I should be okay.

Yep. you will be fine. Just prime as normal and bottle.

Painter said:

Bottle bombs seem to be a much bigger concern with cider than in beer brewing. Why is that?

I am about ready to bottle my first one gallon batch of cider and I would like to get some carbonation. My plan was to add about three tablespoons of corn sugar and then bottle away. Just how worried about bottle bombs should I be?

Click to expand...

I see an issue with this, either prime the batch or if you want to prime individual bottles use a fine scale, using about 3 tablespoons will lead to over/under carbed bottles.