Bottling

[lhinaz71]

I see so many threads about bottle bombs. I certainly don't want that, but would like to bottle my cider and have it a sparkling cider. Some threads indicate that the yeast activity can restart and cause the bottling bombs.

First, if the FG is .999 or lower, it doesn't seem like there is enough sugars for any yeast to work on. Is there a concern here?

Second, since I'd like to make it sparkling, it sounds like I should carb at the same rate I would carb a beer. Which is about 4oz of corn sugar on average for a 5 gallon batch. Again, if my FG is .999 or lower, after adding this additional sugar is there a risk of a bottle bomb?

I just wonder if the risk of the bottle bombs is due to people not measuring the gravity prior to bottling.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bigbeergeek]

If it's done fermenting, you're not going to get bottle bombs. The yeast can't generate any more CO2 than what you feed it. Assuming your primary is completely over, you're good to go.

For what it's worth, I like my ciders more fizzy than beer. They don't have enough protein to hold a head like beer, so a slightly higher carbonation level makes for a champagne-like drinking experience (that's not a foamy mess) which I enjoy a lot.

 

[Jag75]

Ihinaz71 , im fixing to do the same thing . Ive never had an issue with botteling beer but this is my first time doing cider. Ive heard of bottle bombs and dont wanna experience them at all lol. Does cider pose more of a risk then beer when it comes to bombs ?

 

[Maylar]

Bottle bombs happen with cider because people want to have carbonation plus sweetness. That's not a problem with beer because you get residual sugar that's unfermentable, but with cider all the sugars are fermentable so when it's all done you have a very dry tart drink. Different schemes have been developed to address that, and some of them pose the bottle bomb risk. But for fully dry, finished cider you can prime and carbonate just like beer without worries.

I keg my ciders and use the same numbers as you use with beer. Anywhere from 2.4-3 volumes of CO2 depending on your tastes.

 

[Jag75]

My cider kit was 6 gallons . However i racked into secondary and kept only 5 gallons . Is 5 oz of priming sugar ok or should i scale back because i tossed almost a gallon?

 

[Yooper]

That’s fine for a medium level of carbonation.

 

[lhinaz71]

Thanks for all your replies, that helps ease my concerns!

I ended up racking my cider to a secondary today. I decided to just throw another gallon of apple juice in the primary fermentor on top of the existing yeast cake. A few hours later the yeast already have the airlock bubbling away!

 

[Jag75]

Thanks for all your replies, that helps ease my concerns!

I ended up racking my cider to a secondary today. I decided to just throw another gallon of apple juice in the primary fermentor on top of the existing yeast cake. A few hours later the yeast already have the airlock bubbling away!

You doing another batch?

 

[lhinaz71]

Yep, I'm doing another batch. I'm only doing 1 gallon batches. I'm also starting with a different brand of juice this time. The first was an unfiltered 100% juice (not from concentrate), while this one is still 100% juice, it was filtered. Will be interesting to compare the flavors side-by-side.

 

[Jag75]

Yep, I'm doing another batch. I'm only doing 1 gallon batches. I'm also starting with a different brand of juice this time. The first was an unfiltered 100% juice (not from concentrate), while this one is still 100% juice, it was filtered. Will be interesting to compare the flavors side-by-side.

Sounds good , keep us posted