Advice please!? 1st time bottling.

[buMbLeB]

OK, so, I've made several batches of apple cider but normally I just cold crash them straight from primary and drink from the fridge, this is the first time I'm bottling anything. Started this one back around March 12 (I uncharacteristically neglected to take precise notes, so I'm reconstructing), let it sit in primary about 10 days until it fell from 1.080 to around 1.003. Then I siphoned into a plastic carboy (all I have), topped up to the neck with AJ (maybe 3L to get back to 23L total) leaving the lees behind. This restarted slow fermentation (using EC-1118) which continued for the next month or so, tapering down to perhaps one champagne-sized bubble every 10 seconds.

Finally, sometime in the last week or so all activity has seemed to stop. I'm just eyeballing it so far because I haven't added any sorbates or sulphites etc, and I didn't want to expose it to unnecessary oxygen. But seeing as how the airlock hasn't moved in weeks, and there've been no tiny bubbles in many days, I'm guessing it's done.

So, questions: can I bottle now? Can I do so without additives or preservatives? I'd like to just leave it pure because my Dad thinks he's allergic and he really likes my cider, so I'll give the lion's share to him. But I don't want it to spoil right away. What else am I not thinking of? My plan in the next few days is to clean and sanitize my bottles and corks, siphon direct from the carboy, cork and I'm done. I expect it to be dry enough that there's no chance of renewed fermentation, so no need to kill the remaining yeast either via additives or pasteurization, is this accurate? Any suggestions, observations or other helpful hints will be gratefully received. Thanks!

 

[CKuhns]

can I bottle now? Can I do so without additives or preservatives? What else am I not thinking of? My plan in the next few days is to clean and sanitize my bottles and corks, siphon direct from the carboy, cork and I'm done. Yes, you can bottle if perfectly clear and no activity. The only real way to be reasonably sure is to take a hydrometer reading and another a week or so later. If NO DROP then you are done. Even then you may get a little activity over time. I have found cold crashing helps a bunch and I never use additives or preservatives. I react to the "ates" as well. I also would check a bottle every few weeks to ensure it has not started to carbonate. Then keep your bottles cool or even better chilled and on their side, do not wax them. You might "pop" a cork if unable to keep them cool enough and for some reason do start back up but that is better than popping a bottle.

I expect it to be dry enough that there's no chance of renewed fermentation, so no need to kill the remaining yeast either via additives or pasteurization, is this accurate? Again yes but as noted above there is a slight risk of restarting.

Good luck. Keep an eye on them and if you do get some carbonation you may have to toss them in the fridge. That will definitely slow the little yeasties down.

 

[buMbLeB]

Yes, you can bottle if perfectly clear and no activity. The only real way to be reasonably sure is to take a hydrometer reading and another a week or so later. If NO DROP then you are done.

Thanks for the quick reply!! The only reason I've been reluctant to stick a hydro in there is, as stated, I'm paranoid of introducing O2 or some infection given how there's no new CO2 being produced to blanket the cider. In your experience, is this something I should be worried about? Can I pop the airlock to take a sample, then put it back on and wait a week without too much risk?

 

[CKuhns]

I'm paranoid of introducing O2 or some infection given how there's no new CO2 being produced to blanket the cider. In your experience, is this something I should be worried about? Can I pop the airlock to take a sample, then put it back on and wait a week without too much risk?

Yes you should be cautious but not overly so, there is some risk anytime you open the carboy. Be sure to sanitize the hydrometer and ensure your airlock bung is sanitized before putting back in. If you have a CO2 bottle you can fog the vapor space. If not then do the best you can to keep everything sanitary. In my experience limited risk and personally never have had an issue as far as i could tell.

 

[oljimmy]

EC-1118 is a beast. In order to have any danger of bottles blowing up you'd have to have at least 5 points of fermentable gravity left in a cider that has been fermenting freely and healthily. You would probably be the first person in the history of the world to have EC-1118 leave that much after a month's strong fermentation. Worst case scenario you get some natural bottle carbonation, but I would bet pretty much everything I own that your bottles will be fine.

That said, I used to be a lot more paranoid about O2 than I am now. Never once experienced off-flavors due to oxidation, and I'm not super careful. If you're choosing between taking a hydrometer reading and bottling "blind" (i.e. without knowing the FG) take the hydrometer reading every time.

 

[buMbLeB]

Be sure to sanitize the hydrometer and ensure your airlock bung is sanitized before putting back in.

Thanks, I wouldn't have thought it necessary to sanitize the bung as it's not bubbled up in secondary, but now I did. I didn't do the hydro however, as I held the sample back for tasting (very dry, subtle apple, medium-strong kick, clear as glass), I hope that little extra bit of "shoulder room" won't be a problem until I do it again in about a week.

EC-1118 is a beast. In order to have any danger of bottles blowing up you'd have to have at least 5 points of fermentable gravity left in a cider that has been fermenting freely and healthily.

Mine's at 0.998 and from what I know I doubt it's likely to go much lower, so it appears I'm safe - thanks for the numbers.

 

[oljimmy]

Mine's at 0.998 and from what I know I doubt it's likely to go much lower, so it appears I'm safe - thanks for the numbers.

No worries. In my experience, cider production has two stages:

1. "Sweet! The yeast will finish out completely and I won't have to worry about when it's done!"

2. "****. The yeast will finish out completely. How the **** do I stop them from doing that?"