Easy Stove-Top Pasteurizing - With Pics

[marcelo]

I think that one has to keep in mind is that:
The fermentation produces CO2. the beverage takes a while to absorb this c02, this may take several days, and when we put only the priming sugar, there is no problem, it will ferment, and will be absorbed in a few days without the danger of blowing up anything.
I could feel when I used this technique of pasteurization to sweeten Malzbier that the amount of CO2 released when I opened the bottle was more than what was shown absorbed into the drink! The beer is lightly carbonated showed. but was released a good amount of co2 when open. That was the moment I decided to pasteurize and stop the fermentation, because I knew that with some days of rest it would get there. and even then some sizzled during pasteurizationbut none exploded.
All I'm saying is that maybe the problem is happening for waiting a day longer.
Good Luck!





(Damn google translator)

 

[RagingMammoth]

id be too scared the bottles would explode...

 

[Keith66]

Honestly, the only true benefit I can see is non-cold storage, which is nice, and the effect that might have on sharing with friends. Based on my near perfect first attempt two weeks ago, and knowing what I did wrong, I think I can have the same success that Pappers does, and will continue to pasteurize. Fortunately for those who aren't comfortable with it, there are alternatives. Cheers!

 

[BadgerBrigade]

id be too scared the bottles would explode...

If you want to give any brew to friends you should go for it...
Just take more precautions then I did and you'll be fine... Pot big enough for the bottles to fit in side with metal lid on... And NO over carbed stuff... Lol

If we let things intimidate us we would never achieve things we once thought were inachievable.....
Just be safe and go for it!

 

[branman]

If we let things intimidate us we would never achieve things we once thought were inachievable.....
Just be safe and go for it!

I agree. Take precautions and you'll be fine.

Best of luck

 

[marcelo]

I take much advantage of this procedure with my porter. I pasteurize them, and they keep the "sweet" of specialty malts for longer

 

[MisterWoody]

I did some stove-top pasteurization with some flip top bottles. I did lose 1 bottle to an explosion but everything else was good.
A quick note - I noticed some of the gaskets failed. They didn't break but one side sort of flipped out from under the cap. The bottles with gaskets that 'failed' still held pressure after the failure and I was able to just open then re-situate the gasket properly. I think the gaskets failing probably saved me from more broken bottles, but it's hard to know for sure if the bottles would have blown.
Didn't know if this had been discussed yet but I hope it's valuable info for the community.

 

[Pappers_]

Pasteurized another batch Thursday night, nothing new to report, just glad to have some cider around, we're always running out. I should just go ahead and get some more going now.

 

[Txbigfoot]

Why cant you just add campden tablets and Potassium Sorbate and be done with it?
I ask this only because I am getting
ready to rack my first every set. So anxiety is high.
Thanks.

 

[Pappers_]

Why cant you just add campden tablets and Potassium Sorbate and be done with it?
I ask this only because I am getting
ready to rack my first every set. So anxiety is high.
Thanks.

If you are going to force carb or want still cider, knocking the yeast down with additives will work. But if you want to bottle carbonate and condition, that method won't work.

 

[sathrovarr]

Is it possible to use this method for making a sweet sparkling mead?

 

[Txbigfoot]

If you are going to force carb or want still cider, knocking the yeast down with additives will work. But if you want to bottle carbonate and condition, that method won't work.

Thank you for that answer.

So, if I understand correctly, to keep it "aging" I either stove top it or cold crash( which is taking your carboy and putting in the fridge at 40 for 2-3 days-right?) That way it ages after you sugar it for bottling.

Otherwise, if you want a non carbonated cider, you can campden/sorbate
That right?

 

[Pappers_]

Thank you for that answer.

So, if I understand correctly, to keep it "aging" I either stove top it or cold crash( which is taking your carboy and putting in the fridge at 40 for 2-3 days-right?) That way it ages after you sugar it for bottling.

Otherwise, if you want a non carbonated cider, you can campden/sorbate
That right?

The answer to your second question "if you want a non carbonated cider, you can campden/sorbate That right?" is yes.

I think the answer to your first question is no, though, I think you're not getting the concept, but I may not be understanding your question correctly.

To carbonate/condition in the bottle, you need yeast to eat sugar, producing the CO2. If you add the campden/sorbate and then bottle, they will knock the yeast down (hopefully) and they will not eat the sugar, hence no CO2.

If you backsweeten with juice (like I do) and then bottle, the yeast will start eating the sugar in the bottles and produce CO2, carbonating your cider. I pasteurize the bottles at this point, to kill the yeast and stop them from eating more sugars, which would produce too much CO2 and explode the bottles.

Does this help?

Another really good method for making semi-dry/sweet, bottle carbonated cider can be found at www.makinghardcider.com

 

[Txbigfoot]

If you backsweeten with juice (like I do) and then bottle, the yeast will start eating the sugar in the bottles and produce CO2, carbonating your cider. I pasteurize the bottles at this point, to kill the yeast and stop them from eating more sugars, which would produce too much CO2 and explode the bottles.

Pappers, thank you for being so kind in replying. Regarding the above, I think I will split the batch. 1/2 staright no carbination so tablet and sorbate.

The other 1/2 batch I will carbonate. I would also like to backsweeten.
So, I will add the concentrate and sugar to bottle. How much time do I wait to pasteurize to kill the yeast after they start nawing my sugar?

Also, if the ABV is low before i kill everything can I add dextrose again or just move on?

 

[branman]

Also, if the ABV is low before i kill everything can I add dextrose again or just move on?

I have used dextrose with concentrate before with no problems.. I let it go to long and tryed to get some of the dryness out.

 

[RosieTheGreat]

So how I did it today ( without acsess to large pots) was to fill the sink up with about 130f water. Place 4 bottles in then dump a pot of boiling water on top. Only lost 1 bottle (chip in it).

 

[ciderjunkie72]

Rather than using priming sugar for carbonating, I want to use apple concentrate. Any Idea how much per gallon? Also, does pasteurizing affect the taste of the cider?

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Rather than using priming sugar for carbonating, I want to use apple concentrate. Any Idea how much per gallon? Also, does pasteurizing affect the taste of the cider?

You have to find out how much sugar is in the concentrate.... I take fresh juice and keep reducing it down On the stove with a little honey or brown sugar until it is a wonderful appellee syrupy back sweetener

 

[Keith66]

Rather than using priming sugar for carbonating, I want to use apple concentrate. Any Idea how much per gallon? Also, does pasteurizing affect the taste of the cider?

I used 3 cans for a 5-gal batch and could have used 5 without getting too sweet. Mine was still fairly dry. And no, pasteurizing didn't change the taste at all.

 

[Keith66]

Regarding pasteurization changing the taste, I'll mention something I haven't seen in this thread yet. To help monitor carbonation, I filled one plastic soda bottle. Four days later the glass bottles got pasteurized and the plastic soda bottle went into the fridge to cold crash. One day after that, I drank the first cold, pasteurized glass bottle. And one day after that, on a Saturday, I drank "more than one" bottle of cider including the non-pasteurized plastic soda bottle. As far as I could tell, there was no difference in taste between the pasteurized cider in the glass bottles and the non-pasteurized cider in the soda bottle.

 

[ciderjunkie72]

Thanks for the reply's , I appreciate it

 

[Thaumatourge]

So, I used this method today. Easy, clean, and fast. 1 question though. What range of acceptable temp drop should I expect? I was doing 6 bottles in a standard canning pot. I let the bottles warm in a sink of warm water prior to the 10 min soak. I flecked the temp of the water after and it was 158. Does this seem to much of a drop?

 

[Scottie61]

temp of the water after and it was 158. Does this seem to much of a drop?

Others have posted about the temp profiles to achieve adequate pastuerization, so you may want to check into that, if you're interested. It's a time above a particular temperature thing, I believe.

Theres folks, for instance, that don't want to go as high as 190, since it may affect the flavor of what you're pastuerizing, so you could play around with holding the temp at 160 or some such for a certain amount of time.

Pappers talked about checking that, and 190 with 6-7 bottles (starting at room-temp) stayed above the crucial temp for well over enough time.

Did my second small 9 bottle batch of Apple wine last night, and it worked fine. Six bottles, and then three. My bottles are always at room temp, so I've never done a pre-soak, and so-far no breakage.

Scott

 

[Sippin37]

Trying this for the first time tonight. It seems like plenty of people have put their bottles in at 190 and there was no shock or broken bottles. I plan on filling the pot with hot tap water, put the bottles in, and then put on the range until the temp approaches 190, them let them sit for 5-10 minutes and call it a day. Here is another thread discussing the temps needed for pasteurizing and how long it took to reach that temp:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/stovetop-pasteurization-time-temp-274165/

 

[cwdrake]

I wouldnt heat the pot with bottles in it. You're asking for trouble and broken bottles.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I wouldnt heat the pot with bottles in it. You're asking for trouble and broken bottles.

I AGREE!!! Don't do that bro.... Get the water to the temperature you want and then add your bottles... I didn't even have my water up to 180F when one of them went off and sent a 1 inch shard of glass across the kitchen and sticking into me a quarter of an inch!

There is still the healing wound and it literally was sticking out of me! I never really believed the saying "bottle bomb" until one actually went off like an actual grenade made of glass

 

[Sippin37]

Wow! Thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure not to do that then. I can see how heating the pot at the same time will make the bottom of the bottles wayyyy too hot.

 

[Scottie61]

When I was quite-a-bit younger, my mother used a large stovetop pressure cooker and I used to be pretty leary of that thing (esp. now in light of what happened in Boston, yet).

She would heat up the cooker with her canned glass jars of pickles, applesauce, whatever inside, but the difference was that there was a rack of some kind on the inside of the cooker, so the jars didn't come into contact with the bottom of the cooker.

Badger -- glad you didn't get any glass in your eye! I've never yet had a bottle break (knock on wood), but I grab my safety glasses anyway!

Scott

 

[Thaumatourge]

Thanks Scott. Looks like the range we are all looking for is above 145 for 30 min. Since the bottles were still screaming hot after 10 min out of the water, I'm willing to bet they were above that for 30 min.

Jason.

 

[KEG99]

I have a question that I hope was not already answered (couldn't get through all +800 posts). Why do you have to do a water bath to do the pausterization? Couldn't you use dry heat, i.e., just put the bottles into the oven at 160-190 degrees?