Very simple bottling question

[brianmp]

I have a simple question about bottling - I just bottled a hard apple cider on the 25th and didn't have enough wine bottles, so I used an old glass peanut butter jar with a metal screw-on lid. As I carried it to my basement, it started to leak a little so I put a plastic bag over it with a rubber band to avoid getting oxygen in it (I think that's a bad thing, but not sure).

I picked it up the next day and as I pressed on the sides of the lid, some CO2 gas escaped so I know oxygen can get in. I now have a wine bottle I can use and am wondering if I would harm anything if I just simply transferred the cider from the jar to the wine bottle. If it comes into contact with oxygen, is it going to affect how long I can age it or will there be no effect? Thanks... I just didn't want to ruin a perfectly good 30oz or so of cider...

 

[GooBrew]

Im an extreme N00B here but if the bag was filled with C02 wouldnt that signal you still have fermentation occuring and the cider you had already bottled and corked is going to explode?
You dont want CO2 production after you have corked, some very basic gas law properties tend to make some very big messes.

IE: Bottle bombs.

 

[brianmp]

Goo - I'm in the same boat as you as a fellow noob, and thanks for the reply. I didn't think of that - I just checked it and the bag hasn't 'inflated' yet at all so I think I'll try putting in down lower on the jar and seeing what happens in the next few days. I think fermentation has stopped, since it cleared out and I let it sit for a week after that. Oxygen could still get in in that case, and my question was if tranferring it to a wine bottle would ruin the cider or not, as it would surely come into contact with oxygen.

 

[Yooper]

I imagine it's a pretty small jar, so racking it would probably be pretty inefficient. Pouring it would cause oxidation and probably ruin it. I'd suggest just keeping it where it is, and drink it first.

 

[brianmp]

I imagine it's a pretty small jar, so racking it would probably be pretty inefficient. Pouring it would cause oxidation and probably ruin it. I'd suggest just keeping it where it is, and drink it first.

Thanks Yooper - I was hoping you would see this question! Now that we're on the subject - how long and what amount of exposure to oxygen will ruin a brew and cause oxidation? The reason I ask this is because when taking a sample for a hydrometer test, you're exposing the brew to oxygen and apparently this isn't enough to cause oxidation. Therefore, what is the 'limit' that the brew can be exposed to oxygen? - I guess that was the essence of my question in the first place...

 

[Yooper]

I don't know if there is an answer to your question- how much is too much oxidation? Well, if it causes an unattractive color change or a bad taste, obviously it's oxidized. But I don't have a number of splashes or openings that make that happen. I think if you do common sense things- no splashing or pouring, reduce headspace in the carboy, use sulfites as needed, etc, that you shouldn't have to worry at all about oxidation. If you pour, or stir, etc, then I would say that it would be a definite risk and that those things should try to be avoided.

Racking less than a gallon is kind of a pain, though- the autosiphon works great in larger containers but not so well in small wine bottles or 1/2 gallon jugs. I still use those smaller containers to hold my "top up" wine, though. I gently pour to top up when I need to, after racking the wine.

 

[brianmp]

Thanks for the tips, Yooper. So if I'm just taking samples out of the container for hydrometer testing, there will be no risk of oxidation?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the tips, Yooper. So if I'm just taking samples out of the container for hydrometer testing, there will be no risk of oxidation?

I can't say that there would be "no" risk, but definitely it'll be minimal risk if you don't shake, stir, slosh, etc. It's not worth worrying about it, though.

 

[brianmp]

Alright, thanks. Another one of my "noob" questions answered!