Carb process: Watch these vids, tell me what is wrong

[ewerbeck]

Okay.... What I did here is I fermented 4 gallons pure juice with Nottingham and enzyme... for about 7 days until the SG was 1.010. I bottled with some priming sugar (2/3 cups boiled in 2 cups of water). Based on what a few others told me, I figured this would give me a draft type cider, with big apple flavor, not too dry, at about 4-5% ABV.

Well, it has been in the bottles now for about 15 days... Which is a few over what I was told to expect (since I bottled before it fermented out). I think I screwed up... Let me explain.

The cider is bubbling out of the bottles as soon as I open them. Here are ideas I have--please let me know what you think.

A) First thought was it hadn't absorbed into the cider yet, that it needed more time. I think this was disproved by the fact that that Day 15 spewed higher than Day 13.

B) I think the priming solution might have been too hot when I added it... I didn't wait for it to cool to room temp. I might have killed the yeast, or most of it.

C) Perhaps the sugars did not get mixed into the 4 gallons very well. I just poured it into the mix while it was being siphon to the secondary.


Either way... It doesn't some to be doing anything anymore... and I don't want bottle bombs. Can anyone give some advice?????


DAY 13:


DAY 15:

 

[ewerbeck]

and... my plan was to heat pasteurize them if necessary...

 

[octo]

chill them down in the fridge for a day or 2 before opening

 

[ewerbeck]

Would that prevent what I'm seeing here?

 

[IrregularPulse]

I don't know anything about cider, But gushing like that in beer indicates either sever over carbonation or an infection.

OK, I didn't see the vids until after I posted the above. Holy Crap!! I'd put those bottles somewhere encloses such as a tote and then on ice. What was your carbonation process? The cider was either not done fermenting and finished in the bottles, you added way too much priming sugar, or you have a killer infection that led to more carbonation in the bottle. Either way bottle bombs could be in your future. That is some insane gushing!

 

[cinderbike]

They might need longer. They usually say anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months to bottle carbonate. Try pouring what's left of a bottle into a glass and see if it has bubbles. They could also be over-carbonated if you mis-dosed priming sugar.

 

[octo]

Would that prevent what I'm seeing here?

probably, I made a cider and it gushed too when it was warm, its perfectly fine now when its chilled. its worth a shot huh? i should add that mine definitely has champagne like carbonation though.

 

[GNBrews]

Juice will typically ferment down to 0.000 or lower. You've got the residual sugar plus priming sugar in those bottles when you capped them. Unfortunately, you're going to have bottle bombs shortly. I strongly suggest trying to save the batch by emptying the bottles into a keg and dispensing from there. If you don't have a kegging rig, pour all the bottles into a sanitized fermenter, let the fermentation progress until all the sugar has been utilized and the yeast has settled, then rack into another sanitized container, add potassium sorbate, then back-sweeten and bottle.

 

[Pappers_]

I think you waited too long to stop the yeast in the bottle. But, no time like the present. I would either chill them or pasteurize them asap.

+1 on the advice above about chilling bottles helping to get rid of geysers like yours.

 

[Pappers_]

Juice will typically ferment down to 0.000 or lower. You've got the residual sugar plus priming sugar in those bottles when you capped them. Unfortunately, you're going to have bottle bombs shortly. I strongly suggest trying to save the batch by emptying the bottles into a keg and dispensing from there. If you don't have a kegging rig, pour all the bottles into a sanitized fermenter, let the fermentation progress until all the sugar has been utilized and the yeast has settled, then rack into another sanitized container, add potassium sorbate, then back-sweeten and bottle.

You may have missed the OP's point, GN - he wanted to make semi-dry bottle carbonated/conditioned cider. So, he had a couple of choices:

1. bottle the cider before it ferments out all the way to dry, add priming sugar if he wants to keep it at the same sweetness level, keep a careful eye on carbonation progress (by opening a bottle every other day or so) and when they are carbonated at the right level, then stop the yeast in the bottle by chilling them or

2. do the above except instead of chilling it, pasteurize the bottles with ten minutes in a 190 degree hot water bath

3. or let the cider ferment out to dry, then backsweeten with a non-fermentable like lactose, add priming sugar and bottle.

I do #2 and its easy, gives a good draft style cider, with some apple flavor and sweetness, ready to drink quickly.

 

[ewerbeck]

Thanks everyone. I'm chilling them right now...

Unfortunate outcome for this batch, but not a total loss!

 

[Pappers_]

They might need longer. They usually say anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months to bottle carbonate. Try pouring what's left of a bottle into a glass and see if it has bubbles. They could also be over-carbonated if you mis-dosed priming sugar.

Not for the type of cider the OP was preparing. Its not unusual for bottles to be ready in one week - almost never more than two, in my experience.

 

[ewerbeck]

Exactly Pappers, but I think in hindsight I didn't start popping them open soon enough and ended up with the above result. Good thing I decided to post this tonight. It seems I'm very close to the dreaded bottle bomb.

 

[Pappers_]

Close, but not yet! Chill away!

 

[GNBrews]

Hi Pappers,

I read it a bit differently. He says, "Based on what a few others told me, I figured this would give me a draft type cider, with big apple flavor, not too dry, at about 4-5% ABV."

The only way that's possible is to pasteurize at the desired sweetness level, or use potassium sorbate and back-sweeten before bottling. But, obviously that would stop him from having the cider carbonated. Having an easily fermentable sugar in a quantity over that which will carbonate the cider, with live yeast, is going to spell disaster even if the temperature is dropped to 40F.

The fact that he's getting a 2ft gusher when the bottle is opened means that the pressure is already much too high for all of the CO2 to be absorbed, and the cider is probably already close to dryness. It's probably best to start over or dispense from a keg (if possible).

 

[Pappers_]

Hi GN. I'm not sure if i'm understanding you correctly. If you're saying that you can't make bottle conditioned/carbonated sweet or semi-dry cider using a pasteurizing method, then I disagree - I've done it many times. Its simple, doesn't involve any additional chemicals like sorbate, and is as easy as falling down. Perhaps we're just talking past each other.

On the other hand, you're right that if you ferment to dry, sorbate and then back sweeten, the only way to have sparkling cider is to keg.

I also agree that he would be safer, with his current batch, to pasteurize than to chill, because pasteurizing kills the yeast, while chilling merely puts it to sleep or makes it dormant. But chilling an ale yeast to refrigerator temps should stop it.

 

[madbaldman]

Given the pressure in the bottles now, is it even safe to pasteurize? I'd be afraid to plunk those puppies in hot water and create even more pressure.

 

[GNBrews]

No, you'd most certainly have a problem. You're currently at champagne carbonation level or higher. Chill them down, and drink as soon as possible.

 

[ewerbeck]

I think I can handle the drink as soon as possible part.