Hi all. I brewed some cider in the fall of 2010 and began a batch for this year about a month ago. At this point my cider is in the secondary fermentation and clearing phase. I'd like to bottle it in a week or two and haven't been able to find simple instructions on how to add carbonation. Can someone advise me? Here are some more details about my cider.
Type of Cider Used: Unpasteurized from a Michigan orchard,
Quantity at start: 4 Gallons
Added: 3/4 gallons of water + 1/2 lb 40 Caramel malt + 1/2 lb 60 Caramel malt
When added: After 2 weeks
Process used when adding malt for secondary:
I know that adding a bit of sugar to the cider and then bottling can force carbonation. Naturally I don't want my bottles exploding. What would the appropriate amount of sugar to add be for 4 3/4 gallons of cider? I plan to used sanitized beer bottles with traditional metal caps. Also, I did not take a gravity reading and couldn't tell you what percentage this batch is.
Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated.
Type of Cider Used: Unpasteurized from a Michigan orchard,
Quantity at start: 4 Gallons
Added: 3/4 gallons of water + 1/2 lb 40 Caramel malt + 1/2 lb 60 Caramel malt
When added: After 2 weeks
Process used when adding malt for secondary:
- 1 gallon of water heated to 160 degrees F,
- malt steeped for 30 minutes,
- temp raised to 210 briefly and then dropped,
- water with malt added to sanitized carboy,
- cider added on top of malt when cooled
I know that adding a bit of sugar to the cider and then bottling can force carbonation. Naturally I don't want my bottles exploding. What would the appropriate amount of sugar to add be for 4 3/4 gallons of cider? I plan to used sanitized beer bottles with traditional metal caps. Also, I did not take a gravity reading and couldn't tell you what percentage this batch is.
Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated.