Cider Bottling

[tom83]

Looking through this forum I can't seem to find a simple way to carbonate 500ml (16oz) amber flip-top bottles without having to pasteurize or cold crash(limited fridge space). Is it possible to carbonate the cider without making bottle bombs or having to use these two methods? I'm only looking for a bit of carbonation and fizz (nothing like Champagne). My setup is only for 1 gallon and I will be using Red Star Premier Cuvee (thats what came with a kit I received). I have a pretty good plan about what I want to do. I'm looking to make a dry fizzy cider. The only thing that has me confused is bottling. The kit recommends 3 tablespoons honey for bottling but doesn't mention anything about cold crashing or pasteurizing. So is it necessary with 3 tablespoons honey? The goal is to keep a few bottle aging and enjoy some for the upcoming holidays. Any help is appreciated!

~tom83

 

[domingo]

If you're looking for dry/fizzy cider you'll be fine with normal priming. The cold crashing/pasteurizing only matters for people looking for sweet/fizzy cider. Follow the directions on your recipe. Shouldn't add more than .003 in sugar (additional gravity on the hydrometer) or you may be in bottle bomb territory, I believe.

 

[Aa760]

I have considered this issue as well, since I don't keg. Much of the reading out there related to pasteurizing is to enable folks to back sweeten their ciders. Since the cider is choc full of fully fermentable sugars, it will go bone dry. Folks that want to have some sweetness to their ciders will back sweeten and force carb their ciders serving them from their kegs. This is done after treating the cider with k-meta to prevent yeasts from just chewing down the sugar used to back sweeten. Like you, I bottle condition. Readings related to pasteurizing in bottles aim for this same effect, only we can't use k-meta, as we need live beasties to carbonate in bottle, and they will just dry the cider out again given enough sugar to backsweeten, and potentially (reliably) create bottle bombs in the process. You mentioned wanting a sparking dry cider, which is exactly what you will get. Once fermentation is completely finished, add your honey (or dextrose or whatever sugar source you choose as your yeasts last meal) and bottle as usual. Check an online carbonation calculator to determine how much honey to add for your given bottles ng volume. The yeasts will eat that sugar source in bottle, fart enough carbon dioxide to carbonate your cider and return your fg to bone dry. I hope this helps. Fwiw, I learned this season that pears have enough unfermentable sugars in them so they won't go bone dry, so you can make sparkling Perry that still has some sweetness to it and can be bottle conditioned as described above. My batch recently finished around 1.010 and is bottle conditioned nicely and lightly sweet.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Assuming the cider is clear, wait till your hydrometer reads 0.998-1.003 then prime & bottle. A bottling bucket & bottling wand are very useful for this. Prime just like you would for beer, this might help:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html
Scroll down for a helpful nomograph.
Regards, GF.

 

[madscientist451]

I've been told that if you carefully monitor your gravity and bottle at
1.005, the flip top bottles can handle the pressure. I haven't tried this yet, but when I do I'll put the bottles in a plastic tote to contain any mess from a possible bottle bomb. When you reach the carbonation level you are trying for you can then heat pasteurize if you don't want to worry about bottle bombs.
I'm speculating that by bottling at 1.005 instead of fermenting until completely dry, that you can preserve some of the apple flavor in the cider. Again, its just speculation on my part since I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Maylar]

Looking through this forum I can't seem to find a simple way to carbonate 500ml (16oz) amber flip-top bottles without having to pasteurize or cold crash(limited fridge space). Is it possible to carbonate the cider without making bottle bombs or having to use these two methods? I'm only looking for a bit of carbonation and fizz (nothing like Champagne). My setup is only for 1 gallon and I will be using Red Star Premier Cuvee (thats what came with a kit I received). I have a pretty good plan about what I want to do. I'm looking to make a dry fizzy cider. The only thing that has me confused is bottling. The kit recommends 3 tablespoons honey for bottling but doesn't mention anything about cold crashing or pasteurizing. So is it necessary with 3 tablespoons honey? The goal is to keep a few bottle aging and enjoy some for the upcoming holidays. Any help is appreciated!

~tom83

Dry fizzy cider is easy. Ferment totally dry (below 1.000) then add priming sugar (or honey) and wait. There are charts for that, but I think a good rule of thumb is 1/8 cup sugar or 3 TBSP honey per gallon. That will keep carbonation within the limits of your bottles without worrying about having to pasteurize or cold crash.

 

[Maylar]

I've been told that if you carefully monitor your gravity and bottle at
1.005, the flip top bottles can handle the pressure. I haven't tried this yet, but when I do I'll put the bottles in a plastic tote to contain any mess from a possible bottle bomb. When you reach the carbonation level you are trying for you can then heat pasteurize if you don't want to worry about bottle bombs.
I'm speculating that by bottling at 1.005 instead of fermenting until completely dry, that you can preserve some of the apple flavor in the cider. Again, its just speculation on my part since I haven't tried it yet.

Most yeasts will take cider to below 1.000, which means fermentation isn't complete at 1.005. If you bottle at that point without any additional sugar and just wait for fermentation to finish you will get carbonation without having to pasteurize to stop it.


That assumes of course that the yeast and cider will continue to ferment. I've had some batches finish at 1.002.

 

[MarkKF]

Thanks for the tip. I used 3/4 cup brown sugar for 5 gal. That's along 1/8 cup per gal. I never knew about honey. Is there an advantage to using honey? Will any of the flavor remain after carbonating?

 

[tom83]

Thank you to everyone who replied. The plan is to go ahead and bottle when fermentation has completely stopped. I will mix 3 tablespoons of honey with 1/2cup of water, heat up to mix well, then follow the normal steps for bottling with a priming sugar solution. Just to be sure, if I want a sweet/fizz cider then I can add sugar such as Xylitol or truvia to boost the sugar levels (to taste of course) without fermentation and then follow the same bottling procedure?

~tom83

 

[phug]

Yes


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[Maylar]

3 TBSP of Xylo Sweet per gallon works for me. Enough to take the edge off dryness and still have a bit of "tart" apple flavor.