A few questions on treating, force carbonating and bottling temps

[Fixerman]

Newbie with first post...

I live in Vermont and have been making cider for four years. I pick a variety of apples (including some large crabapples) and use my homebuilt grinder and press to produce 15-20 gallons of cider per year which I put into 5-gallon glass carboys.. I treat with Campden tablets, wait a day, then add yeast (usually Wyeath Cider/Mead yeast). I don’t ever rack the cider; I just let it sit for several months then siphon into corny kegs, treat with potassium sorbate, backsweeten with maple syrup, force-carbonate, then bottle in 16 oz swing caps using a Blichmann beer gun.

So far, I’m very pleased with how the cider has turned out. I’ve been force-carbonating using the shake method and immediately bottling on cold winter days, typically in the teens (F). When the weather cooperates, that has worked well, with no foaming issues when bottling. The problem is, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. I’ve decided to move my carbonating/bottling process into my basement. (Note: I like force carbonating and I definitely want to continue bottling.)

I bought a mini fridge which will hold a corny keg and CO2 bottle without modifications. The fridge goes down to 26 degrees which is great. I want to carb using the set and forget method, which I've never tried.

My questions:

• I’ve just been using potassium sorbate before backsweetening. A lot of people recommend also using Campden tablets. Should I use both? Add them together? How long should I wait before back-sweetening? Some say a day or two; my local home brew store recommended longer.
  
  
• For both the set-and-forget carbonating and bottling, it makes sense to keep the fridge at 26, right? It would carbonate more easily then warmer temps, right? Is there a reason I shouldn’t go that cold? Or a recommendation? (Note: when carbonating at 26 degrees, I figured I'd set the pressure at 9.)
  
  
• When bottling, I’m thinking of keeping the keg, CO2 bottle, and most of the 10' beer gun line in the fridge and closing the fridge door on the line with just enough of it outside the fridge for bottling. (The door doesn’t crush the tube.) I figure I’ll block the small door opening with strips of pipe insulation or something. But with the cider at 26 degrees, and my basement at 60 degrees, I’m wondering if I should just take everything out of the fridge when I bottle. Bottling around 36 bottles doesn’t take very long, so maybe the cider won’t warm up enough to cause foaming. What do you think?

Apologies for the lengthy post. -Rich

 

[Lavrik707]

Hey! Let's get everything straight.
1) That's not necessarily. Potassium sorbate stops your yest to reproduce themselves. Potassium sorbate DON'T kill yeast. Campden tablets have different effect. They're eleminating microorganisms and bacterias, including yeasts. You can use them both. At first, add campden tablets to kill all microorganisms and wait for 2 days. Then, add potassium sorbate, to prevenet any further fermentation. But i have to admit, that potassium sorbate would be enough, to prevent any further fermentation. Prevent, not to stop.
2)I recommend you to use priming calculator. As far as I know, 26 degrees fahrengeit is a preety good temperature for force carbonating your cider. Colder temperatures increase CO2 solubility, allowing you to achieve the desired level of carbonation with lower pressure. 9 psi is very good starting point for carbonization. You will achieve carbonization that's similar to the one's from grocery store.

 

[Fixerman]

Thanks for writing. I appreciate your reply.

 

[fluketamer]

when my kegerators get anywhere around 30 i start to get frozen lines or kegs or taps . wont your cider freeze at 26?

 

[Fixerman]

when my kegerators get anywhere around 30 i start to get frozen lines or kegs or taps . wont your cider freeze at 26?

Since that original post back in Jan, I've done a lot of homework on that subject. I've decided to play it safe and am going with 35 degrees.