Cider question - Page 2

vespa2t · 03-17-2010, 01:51 AM

yes you can cold crash. This will get most of the stuff to fall out.

bottle carbing is tricky with cider that hasnt fermented out all the way. At 1.012 there is alot of sugar left, enough to make bottle bombs. It becomes an experiment in checking the bottles once a week or so. Some people bottle a couple plastic bottles so they can check hardness as it goes along. Then when it is done carbing, all of them have to go in the fridge.

manticle · 03-17-2010, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vespa2t

I was in my LHBS a few months ago buying a few supplies and a guy comes in that hasnt done any fermentation before. he wants to do a cider. The guy behind the counter just goes to town with liquid yeast, pectic enzyme, bentonite, acid blend, tannin, and all sorts of other crap you dont need to do a first batch with. You just need cider, yeast, fermenter, airlock, and hydrometer. Then experiment from there.

What you need is good, correct and easy to follow advice so you can get a grip on the fundamentals. I'm kind of assuming that's what you're saying and it's what I'm trying to get at too - the HBS guy should have given simple advice about temperature, reading hydrometers and understanding the basics of fermentation. Advising someone to ferment cider for two weeks and then bottle, without giving qualifiers is actually potentially dangerous advice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swcoxe

ok so if I I like it sweeter, can I crash it and still bottle carb it? Also if I can what is the proceedure?

I would advise against it unless you have someone with you who's experienced in it. Exploding bottles are no joke. There's a recycled photo on the other HB forum I frequent of glass from an exploding bottle embedded in someone's ceiling.

There are ways and means though: You can wait till they carb to your liking and refrigerate all of them (if you have fridge space for 20-30 700mL bottles) or wrap every bottle with a few layers of plastic wrap to contain glass explosions, or bottle in plastic bottles (they have been known to explode but less often and possibly less dangerous) or not add priming sugar and allow the unfinished ferment to carb up the cider or buy a kegging system.

vespa2t · 03-17-2010, 12:39 PM

I have sucessfully worked out a procedure to bottle carb sweet cider, but have still given that up and switched to kegging. It is risky as hell, and my beer fridge has a hard time containing 50-55 12oz bottles until all consumed after carbing is at a good level.

Teromous · 03-19-2010, 04:00 AM

You can go crazy and put it in a keg then filter the cider with <1 micron as you transfer it to a second keg to CO2 carbonate, and counter-pressure fill it back into 12oz bottles. It's one hell of a process but it'll be clear, sweet, and carbonated.

manticle · 03-19-2010, 06:31 AM

Unless you don't have a kegging system or filter..................

vespa2t · 03-19-2010, 09:05 PM

I dont filter. I just dont care that much

Kegging. Way safer than bottle carbing if it is sweet cider. I got my kegging system up and running for just a little over $100 by buying everything used (except for new hoses).

Like I had mentioned earlier, you can bottle carb. No priming required since you have tons of sugar left in it already (1.012 was it?). I think some people recommend only using plastic bottles for this. I have used glass, but only the ones I know can take extra pressure (Belgian ones, the kind that they bottle with ~4 volumes). But be forewarned that bottle bombs have a high probability of occuring. I have switched to kegging for my sweet carbed cider. Its just safer.

Swcoxe · 03-22-2010, 11:12 PM

Yeah, not kegging yet.... I am going to just be safe on this batch and do a dry sparkling batch. Hey where do you find used kegging stuff?