Bottle bomb prevention

[_bygolly]

So fermentation is almost done... Or at least it should be. It's been a month since I have brewed some of my first ciders and wines and I really wanna get em into some bottles. Of course I don't want any bombs so I need some help on taking precautions. I've read that if the pg reading is the same 2-3 days apart, it should be done. I also bought Camden tablets and potassium sorbate. I brewed everything with store bought juice that has been pasteurized and has vitamin c in it.

So I shouldn't have to pasteurize them, right? I really don't want to have to do that because somethin about heating up closed bottles in super hot water just sounds like you're asking for it to explode.

And do I have to get anything else besides the Camden tablets/sorbate?

 

[MindenMan]

That depends... you are asking two different questions. Do you want still cider, or do you want fizzy cider? If your gravity readings are the same for days, then it is safe to bottle still cider. Personally, I will do whatever I can to not add chemistry to the mix.
Stove top pasteurizing really isn't a big deal; bring the temperature up slowly, hold at 140*F for 30 minutes, and then cool gradually. Pot a cover on your pot, and add some way to keep the top on in case of a blowout. A couple of gallon jugs or the like will do.

 

[_bygolly]

I do not want fizzy cider. I like it how it is now, pretty much like a semi-sweet apple wine. So I don't have to pasteurize it unless I want it fizzy?

 

[Maylar]

I do not want fizzy cider. I like it how it is now, pretty much like a semi-sweet apple wine. So I don't have to pasteurize it unless I want it fizzy?

If the SG is below 1.005 and steady you can bottle without worry. You don't need to pasteurize or use any chemicals.

Adding sugar however would change things. Unless the sugar is non-fermentable.

 

[Yooper]

If the SG is below 1.005 and steady you can bottle without worry. You don't need to pasteurize or use any chemicals.

Adding sugar however would change things. Unless the sugar is non-fermentable.

I wouldn't say that below 1.005 is ok- cider (and wine) can go as low as .990.

Once it's clear, no longer dropping sediment, AND at a steady gravity, it can be bottled safely. It's a combination of those three things.

 

[_bygolly]

Thanks that was a big help, I shouldn't need to add any sugar I tasted it recently and was happy with where it was at. I feel a lot safer now about bottling

 

[MindenMan]

Yooper, as far as I am concerned, is the authority when it comes to wine, and cider, and, oh yeah, beer too. My only experience with ciders, are fizzy and apple jack. The only fizzy ciders I have made were pasteurized in the dishwasher. I went and added the level of sweetness I wanted in the finished cider, and then added the priming sugar. My carbonation test bottle was a PET soda bottle. When it became too firm to squeeze, I pasteurized all of my bottles. I did get a little nervous and didn't get the carbonation I had hoped for by pasteurizing "too soon", but that was my first batch, and I have developed better technique since.
I opened a bottle of cider from May of last year this morning, It was a little more fizzy than I remember it being, but it was very smooth drinking, even though it tasted like there was a lot of alcohol in it.

 

[_bygolly]

Yeah I don't know why but it seems like I'm the only one that doesn't like fizzy cider haha. But oh well it's just for me and that's one of the best things about home brewing, making something that fits what you would like in an alcoholic beverage

 

[natehoekstra]

Ok, so I'm a total cider rookie here, but I want carbonation in my finished product. It's fermenting now, and I plan to rack and secondary ferment in a carboy, but once it settles to .995 or so SG, can I just add priming (corn) sugar to the bottling pail like I do with my beers?

 

[Maylar]

Ok, so I'm a total cider rookie here, but I want carbonation in my finished product. It's fermenting now, and I plan to rack and secondary ferment in a carboy, but once it settles to .995 or so SG, can I just add priming (corn) sugar to the bottling pail like I do with my beers?

Yes. Enough to bring it up to 1.005, or if you're using champagne bottles people go as high as 1.010.

 

[phug]

Really? That much? My carbing addition is usually only enough to increase by about .002. I'll double check my numbers on my next batch that I bottle after adding my priming sugar. I'm usually shooting for somewhere near 2.5 ish I guess


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[01TRV]

I've never heard of carbing by shooting for gravity level. Seems like it would be wildy unpredictable. Calculate the amount of priming sugar to add based on the size of the batch and vol of CO2 desired instead.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

 

[natehoekstra]

How do I know how much co2 is desired?

 

[_bygolly]

So when I was reading about when to bottle it said to check the readings weekly and if they were the same within a week that it was ok to bottle. I checked the reading today and it is the same as last weeks, which was 1.030. You guys are saying to wait til 1.005 so which one do I do??

 

[natehoekstra]

We say to wait until the reading is the same as it usually indicates fermentation is complete. However, a gravity of 1.030 means there are still fermentable sugars in your batch, which the yeast could continue to eat, releasing co2 until bottle bomb time. Has your fermentation gone normally? I would check yeast age, temperature, etc.

 

[_bygolly]

As far as I know it's pretty normal. The thermostat is at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I did add about a cup and a half of apple juice 2 weeks ago to get rid of air space so that did kick it into another fermentation. I just wasn't sure because like I said the reading tonight is the same as last weeks. It was also Oaked if that makes a difference

 

[Maylar]

What kind of yeast did you use? All my ciders have fermented out to below 1.000

 

[natehoekstra]

As far as I know it's pretty normal. The thermostat is at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I did add about a cup and a half of apple juice 2 weeks ago to get rid of air space so that did kick it into another fermentation. I just wasn't sure because like I said the reading tonight is the same as last weeks. It was also Oaked if that makes a difference

Unsure if oaking or the apple juice would impact gravity. The gravity isn't just about sugars but relative density to water. Sorry I can't help more.

 

[_bygolly]

It's okay. I'm gonna check it again in a week and if it's the same I'm just gonna bottle it

 

[_bygolly]

I used Nottingham

 

[Maylar]

Nottingham will definitely go below 1.000 when it's done. What was the SG when you started?

 

[_bygolly]

I never took a reading when I started

 

[phug]

What was the recipe? We might be able ballpark the starting gravity from that.


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[_bygolly]

It being my first one I never really had a recipe, I just know I used about 3-4 cups of sugar and a teaspoon of the yeast. I just kinda threw it all together really. Made sure there was plenty of sugar for the yeast to eat up. Now I'm starting to write down any thing new I make

 

[RobertTHunden]

Figure that a lot of commercial juices are 1.05. Not sure what your volume was, but knowing that we can ballpark your concentration and SG.

 

[_bygolly]

I wouldn't know. Cider ferments vigorously and I lost a little bit from the foaming and then racking to the secondary/off the oak chips, and because of that I added more juice cause I didn't want to have a lot of air space. I'm starting to think waiting til a month after the date I added the juice might be the best idea

 

[natehoekstra]

It sounds like you've added a lot of extra sugars. I wouldn't be surprised if you started with a higher gravity (1.05 for juice and then 2 lbs sugar) so a higher FV would make sense? If you want sweet, taste it. If you want high ABV try mixing a starter of more yeast and see if they're hungry maybe?