How To Pasteurize Fruit???

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spiffywiffy

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Hey everyone, this is my first at attempting to do more them just a simple extract kit. Im making a hard cider for my wife and want to know exactly what "pasteurizing" the fruit is lol.. Im going to be using store bought frozen blackberries.. this a 6 gallon batch. I've searched around on the forums and with my luck can't seem to find exactly how to do it. I want to add it to my primary fermentation considering this will be a "still" cider not "sparkling" because i don't have excess to Co2 kind of stuff. Im using a Vinoka CiderPress Cider Kit with Hard Lemonade flavoring . I just want to keep the SWBMO happy, you know?
 
For milk, the process involves heating to 145 degrees and holding at that temperature for 30 minutes, or heating to 162 degrees and holding for 16 seconds.

I'm not sure about fruit. Howevr, frozen blackberries may already be treated with potassium sorbate (or is it potassium metabisulfite?). Check the label.
 
spiffywiffy said:
Hey everyone, this is my first at attempting to do more them just a simple extract kit. Im making a hard cider for my wife and want to know exactly what "pasteurizing" the fruit is lol.. Im going to be using store bought frozen blackberries.. this a 6 gallon batch. I've searched around on the forums and with my luck can't seem to find exactly how to do it. I want to add it to my primary fermentation considering this will be a "still" cider not "sparkling" because i don't have excess to Co2 kind of stuff. Im using a Vinoka CiderPress Cider Kit with Hard Lemonade flavoring . I just want to keep the SWBMO happy, you know?
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Pasteurizing the fruit is unnecessary. Do you have Star San? You can always soak the fruit in some Star San if you're really concerned...

Couple things...

1) If you are adding fruit to the primary, do it after the cider has finished fermenting. Not only will it help prevent infection, but less of the fruit's aromatics will blow off.

2) You can make sparkling cider without any kegging/CO2 setup by adding some sugar to the cider right before bottling.
 
emjay said:
Pasteurizing the fruit is unnecessary.
Click to expand...

The alcohol will probably protect the cider from most things, but you can still get an infection.

I like to add the fruit to a little water and heat gently to about 150 F and hold for about 10 minutes to pasturize the fruit.. Don't heat too high or you will set pectins and get a cloudy cider.
 
emjay said:
Pasteurizing the fruit is unnecessary. Do you have Star San? You can always soak the fruit in some Star San if you're really concerned...

Couple things...

1) If you are adding fruit to the primary, do it after the cider has finished fermenting. Not only will it help prevent infection, but less of the fruit's aromatics will blow off.

2) You can make sparkling cider without any kegging/CO2 setup by adding some sugar to the cider right before bottling.
Click to expand...

I heard if there are certain ingrediants in the cider it will cause the bottles to explode
 
Fruit is commonly sanitized with sulfites- one campden tablet crushed and dissolved in a little (1/4 cup) boiling water and poured over the fruit. Cover, and let sit 24 hours and then use the fruit and juice.
 
Yooper said:
Fruit is commonly sanitized with sulfites- one campden tablet crushed and dissolved in a little (1/4 cup) boiling water and poured over the fruit. Cover, and let sit 24 hours and then use the fruit and juice.
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This.

I mean, if heating was a desirable way to sanitize fruit, you'd see winemakers and cidermakers heating their juice/must (which is EXTRA-vulnerable, since there's no alcohol yet), and yet it never happens.
 
spiffywiffy said:
I heard if there are certain ingrediants in the cider it will cause the bottles to explode
Click to expand...

Um... the same things that can make beer bottles explode, really - infections, adding too much sugar, unfinished fermentation.

Some people are paranoid that cider that's been stabilized with sorbate and sulfites (in order to backsweeten) will suddenly start fermenting again, but that's not really relevant, because anybody who stabilizes their cider and doesn't have a keg setup is actually intending for their cider to be STILL, not sparkling.

So yeah. Just make sure that the cider's done fermenting, and then prime with sugar like you would with beer.
 
i think freezing them (makes them easier to "juice" for the yeast) and then simmering them for around 20 min should take care of most anything.
 
Yooper said:
Fruit is commonly sanitized with sulfites- one campden tablet crushed and dissolved in a little (1/4 cup) boiling water and poured over the fruit. Cover, and let sit 24 hours and then use the fruit and juice.
Click to expand...

This +2, but I would not cover it airtight, just drape a clean linen over your open vessel so that the sulfites will evaporate and not stay in the fruit and shock your yeast when added to the fermented cider.
 
spiffywiffy said:
I heard if there are certain ingrediants in the cider it will cause the bottles to explode
Click to expand...

I don't know about "ingredients", but if your cider gets a maltolactic fermentation several months down the road it can drop an unexpected couple gravity points and bomb. I really doubt this will happen from a kit though, its more of an issue with fresh pressed cider. I have a batch that this is definitely happening with, and the other 4 carboys have not yet had it happen (none of it is bottled at the moment)
 
MrManifesto said:
i think freezing them (makes them easier to "juice" for the yeast) and then simmering them for around 20 min should take care of most anything.
Click to expand...

If you cook your fruit you're gonna get pectin all up in your must and then your wine will be cloudy. Pectic Enzyme is a must when making wines from fruit, it helps break down the pectin. You still don't want to cook it though.
 
emjay said:
Um... the same things that can make beer bottles explode, really - infections, adding too much sugar, unfinished fermentation.

Some people are paranoid that cider that's been stabilized with sorbate and sulfites (in order to backsweeten) will suddenly start fermenting again, but that's not really relevant, because anybody who stabilizes their cider and doesn't have a keg setup is actually intending for their cider to be STILL, not sparkling.

So yeah. Just make sure that the cider's done fermenting, and then prime with sugar like you would with beer.
Click to expand...

OK, so just prime with regular corn sugar like i would with beer, huh? sounds simple enough. It also calls for something after the yeast settles and before carbonation, when adding the flavoring mix it also calls for Liquid Invert Sugars. What is this? Do I need this? When I bought this from the brewing store i go to they said i had everything i needed.
 
Pasteurizing is for losers...Don't bother. Let it be. All natural cider is best.
 
sfrisby said:
I like to do what Calder described but in a food saver bag so I don't have to add the water to the fermenter and dilute the beer.
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I like that idea. I might try that.

Yooper said:
Fruit is commonly sanitized with sulfites- one campden tablet crushed and dissolved in a little (1/4 cup) boiling water and poured over the fruit. Cover, and let sit 24 hours and then use the fruit and juice.
Click to expand...

It has been 25 years since I made any wine (cider apart), and can't remember anything. I'm sure you don't pour the boiling liquid over the fruit. I would be interested in a very simple explanation of how to sanitize fruit to add to beer using campden tablets. Also, I have some Campden tablets that are over 25 years old, just kept in the bottle, are they any use, or should I just toss them?

MrManifesto said:
i think freezing them (makes them easier to "juice" for the yeast) and then simmering them for around 20 min should take care of most anything.
Click to expand...

Simmering fruit will set the pectins and cause a haze.
 
spiffywiffy said:
OK, so just prime with regular corn sugar like i would with beer, huh? sounds simple enough. It also calls for something after the yeast settles and before carbonation, when adding the flavoring mix it also calls for Liquid Invert Sugars. What is this? Do I need this? When I bought this from the brewing store i go to they said i had everything i needed.
Click to expand...

Just prime with regular (table) sugar. Alternatively, prime with 1 cup (half pint) of store bought apple juice per gallon.
 
Calder said:
Also, I have some Campden tablets that are over 25 years old, just kept in the bottle, are they any use, or should I just toss them?
Click to expand...

I was going to buy a large bottle of these from my LHBS, and I was advised to not purchase for than I could use in a year or two. Evidently they can expire, and at $2.50 for 100 its hardly an expense.
 

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