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The bottles are likely the issue. If they're flimsy like the water bottles, they're too permeable. Sure it might have carbed, but then bled out through the plastic. For test bottles you really want the soda bottles. Crack open a glass bottle, you should see a definite difference. If you dont...

The only ways I suggested the OP to save his batch is to 1) break seals, bleed carb, then recarb if desired and pay attention this time, or 2) chill bottles in the fridge or wine cooler for a few days/weeks before drinking. Nowhere did I mention he should pasteurize his overcarbed bottles. That...

You really missed the context by a wide margin. You never want to pasteurize bottles by having them IN contact with the pan as you heat the water because the bottom of the pan is in direct contact with the heating element and will have a higher temperature. That higher temperature can stress the...

Jacking cider will concentrate everything in it, including methanol, as all you're pulling out when jacking is water.

Well, the first round I did was reconstituted FAJC, however, as I always rehydrate yeast in a portion of the juice/cider to be fermented, when the yeast is pitched, the result is a clouded liquid, regardless of whether it started that way. My second batch was unfiltered cider.

My first batch, which was pitched day before Thanksgiving and bottled the weekend a week after (the 5th), has cleared remarkably well. While I cant get a picture of it right now (bottles at parents while family's up and dont want to waste a bottle just yet), it's got a nice amber-gold color with...

Having just finished my second batch of cider, fermented for 2 weeks with nottingham, it got me thinking. Even without fining agents like pectin or whatever that clay crap is, there's a clear difference between what I bottled today and what I see from a couple weeks ago. So I want to ask...

Nottingham is a yeast that drops out pretty quickly when you cold crash or fermentation hits dry. By any chance were the carbed bottles the last bottles you filled? You may have disturbed the yeast cake and picked some up with the final bottles. That can be why part of the batch is carbonated...

What's your OG, FG, and yeast you used? If you dont have a hydro, how much sugar did you add in? Unless you added enough sugar that fermenting dry would exceed 12-15% ABV, it's not likely a fault in the yeast if you used fresh yeast.

Being on the yeast cake for a day or two longer shouldnt have much impact on taste. Cold crashing can help yeast drop out, clear the cider, etc. And I think it'll help reduce the amount of particulates that settle in the bottles after you pasteurize.

The reason it's better to dunk them instead of them being in from the start is teh fact that you are not stressing the bottles by exposing their base to the far hotter bottom of the pan. The only way you could safely do it was if you were to put the pot in the oven where it will heat evenly over...

Can depend on how you'll go about bottling. If you're just making a sweet still cider, you can just put the fermentor in the fridge (leave the airlock on it as it'll continue to ferment until it reaches cold temps and you dont want to blow the lid/jar). I think secondary is usually done for...

If you forgot about them as they carbed, NEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVER attempt to pasteurize the bottles without checking how much carbonation they built up. That is asking for a trip to the ER at best, major surgery at worst. Additionally, make sure you follow the...

Assuming you have a hydrometer, the simplest recipe is apple juice/raw cider and yeast. Wait til it stops bubbling and you're done. Almost as simple is the same apple juice/raw cider with enough sugar (type of your choice) added for an OG of 1.060-1.065. Pitch yeast, let ferment until done/dry...

Currently my second gallon batch is entering week 2 of fermenting, however, for my third batch, I've considered using a smaller container to ferment in. The logic behind it is that, currently, I have a 1 gallon carboy, and a 96 ounce glass jar/jug. This has some logistical issues when adding...

Aeration is adding/increasing oxygen at the start for yeast to properly propagate via vigorous mixing. Not something to do later on when faced with potential bacteria. Degassing would be more like the stirring you do when you add cream to coffee. As for why, others have mentioned it can impact...

Best to change it asap in my opinion. Less risk of something growing in the airlock and dropping into the cider.

Alright, final update. Bottles were pasteurized and stored on the 8th. Finally cracked open a second one (first was last Friday) tonight, taste was much better. Not a lot of tart, apple flavor's more pronounced, overall pretty good. No woodchuck or strongbow on hand to compare though. Cleared up...

Depending on what you want your end result to be, it may be easier to ferment dry, get off the yeast cake, let it clear, and then add sugar/FAJC to get it back to your FG. That'd let you fine-tune what the ABV would be too. One thing I've considered doing myself, was when bottling, instead of...

Technically hard cider is a wine, as it's a fermented fruit product (it's even taxed/regulated as a wine in the US). As far as hitting FG marks, it can take practice, but the way to go about it seems easy enough. If your yeast has a tolerable range of 58-72 *F, you can do the "stage 1"...