Beginner cider questions about bottling and carbonating.

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CaptainCool

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I've made a few batches of cider but I'm still very much a beginner.. I've got the basics down and i've got my materials and done research but theres a few things that i've had trouble getting a specific answer for. I'm currently making a 4 gallon batch of cider with champagne yeast that should complete at around 7.5% ABV.

-What should i use to bottle it? i want it to be sparkling.. i don't have beer bottles but i have many wine bottles (screw on tops not cork).. is that good? I've also heard of someone using empty plastic soda bottles.. is that good? (if so what size.. 24 fl. ounce ..mabey 2 liter?)

-also the recipe shows at bottling to add 4 oz sugar for carbonation.. how carbonated will that end product be? and how long until it is fully carbonated?
 
Normal wine bottles aren't really meant to hold pressure, so I wouldn't use those. Champagne bottles would be a better option. Beer bottles would also work if you can get some.

4 oz of what kind of sugar? Table, corn, etc.
 
I'm new to playing with cider, but have messed with soda using Nottingham yeast to carbonate. I used beer bottles (just used non-screw off type - anything from a good beer should do). I used golden crown caps from my LHBS. I picked up a capper off that evil bay place - but you could get one from your lhbs.

When I do soda, for one gallon I use 10 12ounce glass bottles and cap 'em, and one 12 ounce plastic soda bottle and just re-use the cap. I put them in a dark place (well, a cooler) so sunlight doesn't get at 'em, and in case any burst I don't have much of a clean up. When the plastic bottle gets firm to the touch, I put 'em in the fridge.

From what I've read, plastic lets oxygen in (or something like that?) - so your glass bottles would be fine for storage, but I'm not sure how long you could store cider in a plastic bottle.

Not saying it would work for cider, but that's what I'm planning on doing (along with the stove-top pastuerization). Just glass bottles for most. Plastic for one so I can check carbonation by squeezing, then stove-top pastuerization so I can let them age.

If I'm wrong - please chime in!
 
I would like to use beer bottles but i don't believe i'll be able to pull that off at the moment with this batch... I also don't have champagne bottles.. so I'm stuck with either Wine bottles or plastic bottles,,.. i guess worst case is i don't carbonate this batch if it definitely shouldn't be done in wine bottles or plastic bottles... i would really like to try though even with the exploding bottles risk. i won't age them too long.. at the most they would be drank within 3 months of bottling.

I feel like i've heard that corn sugar is the best for carbonating.. if what i heard is true i can use that.. i'm sure i can find it at a local store..

o. and for future reference.....can i use, used beer bottles and recap them with a capper? or do i need to buy special bottles and lots of caps for every batch?

thanks.. any help is greatly appreciated..
 
Yeah corn sugar is good, but it's not necessarily much better than common sugar. Most people use corn sugar, though.

You can definitely use old beer bottles and recap them (with new caps, though). Caps are pretty cheap, I pay $5 for like 150 or so.

I still wouldn't recommend carbonating in wine bottles because either 1) the cork will pop out, or if it stays well then 2) the bottles might shatter. But if you're REALLY going to try it then at least make sure that the bottles have a punt on the bottom (an indentation... a little stronger than a flar bottom) and that you carbonate it pretty lightly. I'm sure wine bottles would hold SOME pressure fine, but I really have no idea what that amount would be.

Also, I don't really know much about using plastic. Someone else might be able to. If it'd work fine then maybe that would be a good bet for you.
 
I ferment my cider till it's dry then bottle in swing top bottles and add a 1.5 teaspoons of table sugar and let it sit for a couple weeks. (I don't have a bottling bucket or extra carboy) With the swing tops I can open and check carbonation to know when it's done. Plastic soda bottles should work well. Wine bottles sound like a way to get broken glass or geysers.
 
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