Easy Stove-Top Pasteurizing - With Pics

[kiwibrew]

That, and 190 deg air, will not change the internal temp of the cider as quickly as 190 deg water. Think about it, I'd sit in a 190 deg sauna, but not a 190 deg hot tub.

 

[jwynia]

There's a nice hybrid option in the form of a turkey roaster full of water. Put the bottles in that water, put the turkey roaster on a temp controller with the temp probe in either the water or an open "control" bottle and you've got fine-grained control of the temp, a water bath, etc.

I'm using this to do pasteurization at lower temps for longer while still having complete control over the process.

 

[MarkKF]

I use my wife's pasta pan and put the top on it. I drop a thermometer thru the vent hole to keep an eye on temp. If there is a blow up there's only a narrow window of danger.

 

[Vox]

Personally, I consider the stovetop a safer method. If you do have a bottle blow, the water will go a long way to absorbing much of the energy, slowing down the potential shrapnel. In addition, most of the "damage" will be confined to the pot. Although the oven provides a strong physical barrier between you and the "bomb," my oven has a glass window in the front and with my luck this would be cracked or broken. This would make SWMBO extremely irritable...certainly not a safe situation.

Lol. I only have a medium sized pot though that can maybe handle eight bottles at a time at most. Could put a bunch in the stove. Are explosions that common during this process? My stove has a glass door as well. What does SWMBO stand for? Some significant other reference no doubt.

 

[chemdoc]

Lol. I only have a medium sized pot though that can maybe handle eight bottles at a time at most. Could put a bunch in the stove. Are explosions that common during this process? My stove has a glass door as well. What does SWMBO stand for? Some significant other reference no doubt.

SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed (the wife-person or other type) Not smart to anger them with an unforeseen consequence of your hobby.
I have never had a problem with explosions, but the potential is there. Others have not been so lucky. I work with potentially explosive and hazardous things all day long, and I still get a little freaked out every time I put the first batch into the water. Just make sure to test one of the bottles by opening it prior to heating the batch. If the bottle gushes liquid all over the place, you have waited too long and shouldn't risk it. Hope all goes well for you.

 

[Vox]

Only bottled yesterday and the plastic test bottle still has some flex. Will open a bottle tomorrow to test it. Not sure what I'm looking for, but I guess the sound of carbonation when opening and bubbles when poured. Do I need to chill it before opening or does it not matter?

 

[Vox]

The directions say to allow them to cool to room temperature then chill and enjoy. If you aren't going to drink them right away, I gather I just store them at room temp til I plan to drink them?

 

[irchowi]

I'm thinking most people drink cider cold, as with most beverages. But cold or not shouldn't have any effect on the carbonation.

 

[Pappers_]

The directions say to allow them to cool to room temperature then chill and enjoy. If you aren't going to drink them right away, I gather I just store them at room temp til I plan to drink them?

Yes, that's what I meant.

 

[Vox]

Are they ready to pasteurize when the test plastic bottle is fairly firm or totally firm? Bottled the night before last and the test bottle is fairly firm.

 

[EuDvine]

Hey guys (off topic), I searched this thread a bit and didn't find too many people having problems with very (I mean VERY) fast carbonation. I don't know how in the world you can let your bottles with active yeast sit at room temperature for a week without exploding! Here's my process: Ferment cider down to 1.010 which takes 3-4 days, put the whole carboy in the fridge, wait for yeast to settle down for a day or two, rack to bottling bucket, fill bottles, cap, let sit out on the counter at about 77 degrees to warm up. I bottled some using this procedure this morning and they were sitting out for 7 hours, and I opened one just to be safe, and it spewed a raging foam! So I degassed them, and re-capped and I'm only going to let them sit 2 hours and then check one. But I wrote this to warn you that your carbonation could take a week like Pappers, or it could be done in 2 hours like mine. There are a lot of variables I guess. I learned to check carbonation very soon last year when I let my bottles carb for 48 hours, and I opened one and it shot like a gyser across the kitchen. Swmbo was NOT happy, and I was more afraid of her than the rest of the bottles that could've exploded any second.

 

[MedicMang]

Great thread. Thanks.

 

[UncaMarc]

I would like more information on the statement in the original post. It said to rack to bottling bucket along with priming solution. What is the priming solution? I have been pressing my juice for about a month and then freezing it until I get 6 gallons. I plan to use a little potassium metabisulphite to weaken the wild yeast. I then plan to add a good yeast to the bucket. I am looking to use Safale S-04.

I am looking for about 7% abv so I will check my hydrometer until I get to the right point. At that time I plan to rack to a secondary fermentation in my carboy. At this time do I do anything to kill the remaining yeast? I do have a refrigerator big enough to handle the carboy but I don't really want to transport the cider from the house down to the barn where the fridge is located.

I would prefer a semi-dry, slightly sweet carbonated cider in my bottles.

Could anybody on here give me the directions to get to the point where the originator of this thread was when he decided to pasteurize in the kitchen?

Thanks. Great thread.

 

[candice]

So I have been following this post for a little
While now with the intention of using this method with my first cider. I am waiting on it to carb up right now and am going to open my first bottle to see if it's ready. My question: if I open the bottle and its not carbed up enough can I re-seal it or is it a goner? I am new with it all and I have been wondering this one for awhile cause I don't want to waste any.

 

[Evilswine]

Any way I can bottle in a 1 gallon glass carboy? or should I split between 1 liter bottles?

 

[Pappers_]

What I do is use juice, add pectic enzyme, and Nottingham yeast. Lately, I've been letting it ferment out, to dry, then backsweeten with more juice at bottling. Approximately 1gallon of juice to three gallons of fermented cider. Then check the bottles as they carbonate and pasteurize when ready. Does this help or am I misunderstanding your question?

I would like more information on the statement in the original post. It said to rack to bottling bucket along with priming solution. What is the priming solution? I have been pressing my juice for about a month and then freezing it until I get 6 gallons. I plan to use a little potassium metabisulphite to weaken the wild yeast. I then plan to add a good yeast to the bucket. I am looking to use Safale S-04.

I am looking for about 7% abv so I will check my hydrometer until I get to the right point. At that time I plan to rack to a secondary fermentation in my carboy. At this time do I do anything to kill the remaining yeast? I do have a refrigerator big enough to handle the carboy but I don't really want to transport the cider from the house down to the barn where the fridge is located.

I would prefer a semi-dry, slightly sweet carbonated cider in my bottles.

Could anybody on here give me the directions to get to the point where the originator of this thread was when he decided to pasteurize in the kitchen?

Thanks. Great thread.

 

[Pappers_]

So I have been following this post for a little
While now with the intention of using this method with my first cider. I am waiting on it to carb up right now and am going to open my first bottle to see if it's ready. My question: if I open the bottle and its not carbed up enough can I re-seal it or is it a goner? I am new with it all and I have been wondering this one for awhile cause I don't want to waste any.

I pour it over ice and drink it - no waste!

 

[Pappers_]

Any way I can bottle in a 1 gallon glass carboy? or should I split between 1 liter bottles?

If you are making still (non carbonated) cider then a gallon wine jug would be fine. If its carbonated you need to use a bottle designed for that, like beer bottles or sparkling wine bottles.

I have no insight into trying to pasteurize a gallon or literal container of cider - I do it in 12 oz bottles.

 

[Daze]

So I have been following this post for a little
While now with the intention of using this method with my first cider. I am waiting on it to carb up right now and am going to open my first bottle to see if it's ready. My question: if I open the bottle and its not carbed up enough can I re-seal it or is it a goner? I am new with it all and I have been wondering this one for awhile cause I don't want to waste any.

you can recap, I do it all the time. I pop the cap and see if the liquid bubbles. If it does not I recap the bottle with a sterilized cap and put the date on the lid. I repeat this process, every couple days popping an un-dated cap until I have the desired co2 level. By recapping them I can allow them all to carbonate rather than drinking half of my cider before it carbonates.

I have heard two objections to recapping. The first is by popping the cap you are letting all the co2 out, but this simply is not the case. Yes some if it is escaping, but it is just like a bottle of pop, once you open it, if you re cap it the next time you open it there should still be co2 in it plus the yeast will continue to add more CO2 until you pasteurize. The second objection I often here is that by opening the bottle you run the risk of contaminating the beverage. There is a slight truth to this BUT because the bottle is destin to be pasteurized any contaminating microbe is going to be killed so it is really not an issue.

 

[Kashue]

Something I learned the hard way:

One method to make sure your carbonation is going properly is to fill a small plastic bottle with brew. When this bottle is hard from CO2 your brew is carbonated. HOWEVER... If the cider, beer, etc. In the bottling bucket or final jug is not well racked and evenly mixed, then you run the risk of bits of your lees getting into either the plastic test bottle and giving you a false early positive on carbonation, or one of your glass bottles making a secret bottle bomb.

I checked my test bottle and it was tight, and fizzy when opened- after pasteurization I realized that all my bottles were basically still. Should have popped a cap first!

 

[Evilswine]

Can I pastuerize in plastic PET bottles like the Mr Brew bottles? Or will the temperature melt them?

 

[Vox]

Can I pastuerize in plastic PET bottles like the Mr Brew bottles? Or will the temperature melt them?

Earlier posts a few pages back talked about the dangers of heating plastic bottles.

 

[UncaMarc]

This is from an earlier thread started by MeadWitch at https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/cider-house-rules-187921/ It is for a simple, straightforward, draft-style cider that is carbonated and bottle conditioned.



And this is some text from the same thread, more explanatory:

My question is this. After you bottle the cider and then after you pasteurize it, won't there be sediment in the bottles? I mean, there has to be yeast there to carbonate the cider and then you kill it. Won't it settle out and leave a mess in the bottom of each bottle?

 

[Pappers_]

My question is this. After you bottle the cider and then after you pasteurize it, won't there be sediment in the bottles? I mean, there has to be yeast there to carbonate the cider and then you kill it. Won't it settle out and leave a mess in the bottom of each bottle?

Yes, in any bottle conditioned beer or cider, there is a fine layer of yeast dust on the bottom of the bottle. Pasteurizing has nothing to do with that - its the nature of bottle conditioning, a small mini-fermentation in the bottle. Some commercial beers are bottle conditioned, too, like Sierra Nevada, its not just a homebrew thing.

With bottle conditioned beer or cider, you store the bottles upright and when pouring, leave the final 1/4 inch of beer or cider in the bottle.

Does this help?

 

[chemdoc]

My question is this. After you bottle the cider and then after you pasteurize it, won't there be sediment in the bottles? I mean, there has to be yeast there to carbonate the cider and then you kill it. Won't it settle out and leave a mess in the bottom of each bottle?

Correct. In most cases, the sediment is rather small for a bottle-conditioned beer or cider. This is because most of the yeast has already fallen out of suspension in the Carboy after finishing its job. Only a small portion of the yeast makes it into each bottle. This may not be the case if you plan to bottle and stop a fermentation that is still chugging away. In tis case, a good deal of the yeast will still be in suspension and will make it into the bottles. Most people recommend cold crashing in the fermenter before bottling in this situation. Most of the yeast will fall out and you will avoid the large cake of sediment in your bottles, but it will also slow the carbonation process. Hope that helps.

 

[PapiMauri]

Hi Pappers, in a much earlier post you said, "Have you considered letting the cider ferment to dry, then adding both sugar to carbonate and non-fermentable sweetener (like splenda) to backsweeten? No need to pasteurize then. "

That is what I'm planning on doing, but does that mean I can keep the bottles un-opened for, say, a few months, without creating bombs? Thank you and congrats on all the great posts.

 

[MedicMang]

I have an infected batch of pumpkin ale that may have lacto in it. Is this technique only good for cider or can I use it to kill off the lacto after its done carbing in the bottle?

 

[CollegeCider]

Hey guys (off topic), I searched this thread a bit and didn't find too many people having problems with very (I mean VERY) fast carbonation. I don't know how in the world you can let your bottles with active yeast sit at room temperature for a week without exploding! Here's my process: Ferment cider down to 1.010 which takes 3-4 days, put the whole carboy in the fridge, wait for yeast to settle down for a day or two, rack to bottling bucket, fill bottles, cap, let sit out on the counter at about 77 degrees to warm up. I bottled some using this procedure this morning and they were sitting out for 7 hours, and I opened one just to be safe, and it spewed a raging foam! So I degassed them, and re-capped and I'm only going to let them sit 2 hours and then check one. But I wrote this to warn you that your carbonation could take a week like Pappers, or it could be done in 2 hours like mine. There are a lot of variables I guess. I learned to check carbonation very soon last year when I let my bottles carb for 48 hours, and I opened one and it shot like a gyser across the kitchen. Swmbo was NOT happy, and I was more afraid of her than the rest of the bottles that could've exploded any second.

I think the reasoning this happened is because you probably bottled them while the cider was still cold, and when the air(which condenses when cold) warmed up, it expanded and "force carbed" the cider as it came to room temperature. The only problem with this that I can see is you will be forcing oxygen into the cider as well instead of CO2 which I have only heard bad things about.

 

[Pappers_]

Hi Pappers, in a much earlier post you said, "Have you considered letting the cider ferment to dry, then adding both sugar to carbonate and non-fermentable sweetener (like splenda) to backsweeten? No need to pasteurize then. "

That is what I'm planning on doing, but does that mean I can keep the bottles un-opened for, say, a few months, without creating bombs? Thank you and congrats on all the great posts.

Hi, yes they will be fine, if you really let the fermentation finish (let the yeast eat up all the apple sugars) and then prime with only enough sugar to carbonate the bottles. For a great explanation of this, take a look at www.makinghardcider.com

 

[Pappers_]

I have an infected batch of pumpkin ale that may have lacto in it. Is this technique only good for cider or can I use it to kill off the lacto after its done carbing in the bottle?

I don't know what temp and time is required to kill lacto and I don't know the affect of this kind of pasteurizing on beer, sorry.