carbing problem

[kamkamdac]

on my next batch im planing on fermenting to around .010 so i dont have to back sweeten and so i can preserve the apple flavor (and also cut down on aging time), but i also want it carbonated. i cant ferment to dry and prime so i need a another way, and im bottling, not keging

i was wondering if i can cold crash at .010 to slow fermentation, then bottle, and then pasteurize when carbonated. im thinking of filling a plastic 12 oz soda bottle and using it as reference to see when carbing is done

has anyone tried this? will it work or am i stuck with flat cider?


also, what do you use to clear up pasteurized cider. i know its some kinda of enzyme but what is it called and where can i get it. does it affect taste.

 

[kamkamdac]

can anyone weigh in?

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

What you described above should work just fine. Crashing around 1.010 then priming, bottling and pasteurizing (not the plastic one)

After bottling, just bring the bottles back up to room temps to bring the yeasties back around and they will do their magic. Keep a close eye on them so you don't over carb before pasteurizing though.

As far as clearing, cold crashing should have taken care of a lot of that. It won't change the flavor much if it's a little cloudy, I wouldn't worry too much about it. But other's might be able to weigh in on the use of gelatin or other chem to achieve a clearer beverage. I would say if you are going to do it though, you might do it when your cider is around 1.015, otherwise it might get down too dry before it's clear.

 

[Daze]

The enzyme you speak of has to go in at the beginning not the end. it is pectic enzyme and it is inhibited by alcohol. You can crash it or you can just bottle it. remember it takes about 2 points to carbonate so if you want the final reading to be .010 you will need to bottle at .012 also if the fermentation is active carbing will happen quickly so check after a few hours and then be prepared to pasteurize.

 

[kamkamdac]

how do you know when its done carbing, i cant check gravity readings in a caped glass bottle or gauge the pressure. a 20 oz plastic bottle could be used as a reference but will all the bottles carb at the same rate.

also when bottling how much space should there be between the liquid and cap?

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

The only real way to check is going to be to crack one open. The plastic bottle will get you close though. I'd say since you have cold crashed it will take a little longer than a few hours to carb anything, but that's not a "final" answer.

I use a bottling wand to bottle and fill to the top...when the wand comes out it leaves enough space. Maybe 1" to 1.5" headspace? Pasteurizing might require a little more. I've never used that method before.

Check gravity readings in your fermenter...when it gets to the point where you want to bottle go for it. Don't worry about readings in your capped bottles there's nothing you can do about it then. Daze is correct that it will take a couple of points off in the bottle to carb, but if you prime normally, it's adding a couple of points and you should be fine.