Pasteurizing not needed

Met a guy this evening that has never in 20 years pasteurized his bottles and never had a bottle bomb. He claims to use the standard 1 ounce per gallon of dextrose. When I looked at him inquisitively, he simply stated "people didn't pasteurize for thousands of years"........ touche' my friend, touche'.

I don't know of anyone who brews beer pasteurizing it, either. Even some of the breweries I patronize don't pasteurize or filter.

I would be surprised if homebrewers DID pasteurize. It unnecessary, and would be a silly and ridiculous step.

The only thing I've ever pasteurized was a batch of cider I made a while back...and that was ONLY because I added a boat-load of brown sugar to sweeten it up before bottling.

I suppose that it would make it "safer," but if you do your part with sanitation of your gear/bottles, I don't see any need to pasteurize.

I just noticed that in some of your posts you're talking about cider.

I don't pasteurize cider, either- BUT if someone ones to do a sweet carbonated cider, that's probably the only really safe way to keep bottles from exploding if they are leaving fermentable sugars in the cider along with yeast.

I do dry ciders, so priming with 1 ounce of priming sugar per bottle is guaranteed to be safe and pasteurizing isn't needed.

Ahhhhhhhh, okay that explains it. I haven't got my ciders to the point they last past cold crashing before I drink them. But this last batch was made for my swmbo and it didnt go to dry (1.010). She wants it to be carbonated so if I let this bottle condition on its own it will dry out then correct?.....UGH, I really need a kegerator/ keezer

ROLLTIDE said:

Ahhhhhhhh, okay that explains it. I haven't got my ciders to the point they last past cold crashing before I drink them. But this last batch was made for my swmbo and it didnt go to dry (1.010). She wants it to be carbonated so if I let this bottle condition on its own it will dry out then correct?.....UGH, I really need a kegerator/ keezer

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The bottles will likely explode before it gets too dry, but yes, if you don't do anything to halt fermentation, it will keep fermenting.

Yep, bottle conditioning will dry them out...but beware of the BOOM-BOOM! I would wait until fermentation stops and your hydrometer readings are stable before bottling - that way you can control the carbonation.

I have already cold crashed them early back into the plastic jugs that the original juice came in. Looks like I am going to have to try to guesstimate the carb level then pastuerize anyway. I will be so glad when this batch is done for her...pain in the @$$ :/