Easy Stove-Top Pasteurizing - With Pics

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So, is the general consensus that pasteurization does not significantly affect carbonation, if at all? Assuming, of course, that the seal on the bottle is good? Seems to me that if the seal is good, the CO2 possibly go anywhere.

That said, does anyone foresee an issue with pasteurizing wine bottles with natural corks?
 
Wine bottles are not designed to handle carbonation. A safer alternative would be Champaign bottles. As for corks, I seem to remember somewhere in this string about them backing out and popping when heated.
 
Question: if I elevated the bottles off the bottom of the stock pots I'm using for stove top pasteurization, do you think I could keep the fire on low during the 10 minute waiting phase?

My issue is, I takes a LOOOOONG time to heat/re-heat the water for pasteurization. I mean, it takes over an hour to do 10 bottles in two stock pots, so reducing the heat loss will either reduce the amount of time it takes to re-heat the water after the waiting period or perhaps it would allow me to put more than 5 bottles in the pot. I'm going on the theory that more bottles will hasten the heat loss since they act as a heat sink. Anyway, if putting the bottles on the rack will allow me to keep the fire on under the pot, I can greatly increase the time efficiency of this process.

I have several other ideas to pasteurize more bottles faster, but none of them are really practical on a limited budget.
 
RPowell said:
Question: if I elevated the bottles off the bottom of the stock pots I'm using for stove top pasteurization, do you think I could keep the fire on low during the 10 minute waiting phase?

My issue is, I takes a LOOOOONG time to heat/re-heat the water for pasteurization. I mean, it takes over an hour to do 10 bottles in two stock pots, so reducing the heat loss will either reduce the amount of time it takes to re-heat the water after the waiting period or perhaps it would allow me to put more than 5 bottles in the pot. I'm going on the theory that more bottles will hasten the heat loss since they act as a heat sink. Anyway, if putting the bottles on the rack will allow me to keep the fire on under the pot, I can greatly increase the time efficiency of this process.

I have several other ideas to pasteurize more bottles faster, but none of them are really practical on a limited budget.
Click to expand...

There have been some folks who have tried this in this thread and had some detonations. I've only pasteurized once but it didn't take too long to do a case.
 
I know that you don't want the bottles touching the bottom of the pot with the fire on. I was hoping a rack might let me get away with it.

I've only been putting 5 bottles in the pot at a time. maybe I can get away with more bottles, but i was afraid that more bottles would make the water temperature drop too fast. I could probably do a test run with more bottles (filled with tap water) in the pot and take temperatures along the way.

As I said, it takes me an hour to do 10 bottles this way. There has to be a more efficient method.
 
Your forgetting displacment. More bottles = less water to reheat. Put as many bottles as will fit in the pot. Also, fill your sink with hot water and let them soak in it while the pot is warming. Keeping the heat on just sounds like you're looking to re-enact a redneck ER visit.
 
Thaumatourge said:
Your forgetting displacment. More bottles = less water to reheat. Put as many bottles as will fit in the pot. Also, fill your sink with hot water and let them soak in it while the pot is warming. Keeping the heat on just sounds like you're looking to re-enact a redneck ER visit.
Click to expand...

I do warm the bottles first...

...but i was afraid that too many bottles would reduce the water temperature too quickly and thus the proper pasteurization temperatures would not be reached.
 
Not sure I would trust a carboy under pressure. That being said, it would make things a lot easier for the 1 gallon brewer. You might try buying a 1 gallon bottle of apple juice. Set it in a bath for 20 min and then test the temp of the juice inside. Wear some PPE.
 
RPowell said:
I know that you don't want the bottles touching the bottom of the pot with the fire on. I was hoping a rack might let me get away with it.

I've only been putting 5 bottles in the pot at a time. maybe I can get away with more bottles, but i was afraid that more bottles would make the water temperature drop too fast. I could probably do a test run with more bottles (filled with tap water) in the pot and take temperatures along the way.

As I said, it takes me an hour to do 10 bottles this way. There has to be a more efficient method.
Click to expand...

I heated my water to 170F, and put in 8 bottles in at a time kept the heat up to 170 by turning on the burner when necessary, for 20 minutes .... on the bottom of the aluminum pot ( old pressure canner, no lid) I put 4 or 5 canning jar rings, and a circle of hardware cloth to keep them off the bottom of the pot - no problems whatsoever!
 
g8eleven said:
Anyone have ideas on how long in the water bath for a 1 gallon carboy?
Click to expand...
As was already alluded to; a carboy is not designed for pressure, hence the need for an airlock .... same with a 1 gallon jug! If you are priming for carbonation, Bottle in beer bottles or champagne bottles. If you are making it "still" (read flat, no carbonation), You MAY get away with a gallon jug, but I'd try it outside, with water before I'd ever try it with my Apfelwein! That being said, I, personally wouldn't see the need to pasteurize a whole gallon of Apfelwein ... the wife can't drink that much at one sitting! I'd divide it up into smaller quantities (beer bottles)! As well, I wouldn't even try to pasteurize a whole gallon of anything, it would go stale if you didn't drink the whole thing at the first opening ..... re-sealing rarely works!
BTW, I forgot to try to answer the question ..... a gallon is 128 oz, and a beer bottle is 12 oz .... if it takes a minimum of 20 min for 12 oz, I'd think that it might take as much as 3.5+ hours; figuring 128/12=10.6666x20 min=213.333/60 min (1 hr) =3.55555 hours for the pasteurization temps to reach the whole jug, center and all???. But then I'm no math wiz either - just guessin' here ;) lol!
 
My apologies if this has already been address, but I haven't read the whole thread and I'm new to all of this.

I'd just like the mention an observation I made today when doing my very first stove top pasteurization of my very first batch of cider. After I pulled the bottles out of the water and set them on the counter to cool a number of them showed a serious increase in "volume". I had one bottle of cherry apple cider in an old Vodka 360 bottle where the top level of the liquid was about an inch and a half high than when I put it in. Upon cooling it returned to it's lower level. I think it should be noted to make sure there is some head room if you are going to bottle pasteurize. Maybe this is a "well duh" for you more experienced brewers, but I just thought I should mention it. Luckily, nothing tried to escape. Only problem I had was one small 10 oz swing-cap bottle that had a failing gasket. It would occasionally make a brief sputtering noise as it was cooling. I'll drink that one first. Hehe.
 
Hi Pappers,
My question is about temperature vs time, in the Andrew Lea book, he quotes 66*c for 20 minutes.
Your temp is 88*c for 10 minutes. Can you explain the different approaches, in my mind a lower temperature for longer would cut down on the chance of expansion and bottle leaks but obviously doubles the time needed to pasteurise.
Another point is the submersion of the bottles, is it better to completely cover the bottles stood upright vs lying flat on top of each other submerged
 
Welp, learned the hard way.

I intentionally bottled some cider with more than enough fermentables because I wanted to try my hand at backsweetening and pasteurization. Of these, 8 were 12oz bottles (capped), 4 were 25oz bottles (capped), and 4 were wine bottles (corked).

I had two pots: one for the 12oz bottles and one for the bombers and wine bottles. I put the bottles in their respective pots, then filled the pots with water until it hit the fill line on the shortest bottle. I removed the bottles and heated up the water on my electric stovetop.

The one with the 12oz bottles heated up pretty quickly because it was so much smaller. I took it to 180F, turned off the heat and removed it from the burner, then placed the bottles in the water, setting the timer for 10 minutes. About 6 minutes in, the water temp was at 130F, so of course that did me no good. Put it back on, raised it to 180F again, and put the bottles back. Because they had already warmed up quite a bit from the last round, they were still around 150F after another 10 minutes. So they should be good.

The big pot was the problem. I haven't had trouble with wine bottles, corks, and carbonation before, so I didn't think much of it. In an attempt to avoid having to reheat the pot (which took about an hour), I decided to take it up to 190F. I placed the bottles in there and set my timer. About 4 minutes in, I heard my first cork pop. Then another. Then the other two. Then I heard one of the bombers (capped) shatter :p

I just rolled with it. After 10 minutes, the water bath temp was still at 150F, so I figured the yeasties are dead. I capped 3 of wine bottles (they're the kind that will take caps or corks) and re-corked the fourth.

So what have we learned?

1.) For me, at least, 190F is too high a starting point (though I'm sure it depends on the amount of water and amount of bottles).
2.) If I'm gonna pasteurized corked bottles, use a cage!
 
I jumped into 5 gallons of apple cider or should I say Edworts Apfelwein recipe. After reading many posts what I want is a semi-dry semi-sweet sparkling cider.
I used Red Star Montrachet Wine Yeast. Will pasteurization of 10 min at 190 f work on this yeast?
 
I would say yes, if in 12 oz beer bottles, but watch that carb carefully...do NOT attempt to pasteurize an overcarbed cider! And read over the most recent instructions carefully. I think pre-warmimg the bottles in hot tap water, bringing the pot of water (no bottles!) up to 190F, removing from heat and then adding the bottles is the way to go. It may have even been reduced to 180F. And then put a lid on, not tight, but mostly covering, just in case a bottle bursts, to protect you from shards of glass. And a false bottom or something to keep the bottles from contact with the bottom of the pot is recommended.
 
If your liquid hits 150F, everything will completely die. 1 minute at this temperature gives you 7 PUs (pasteurization units), and with the warm-up and cool-down times, you can count on an extra 8 PUs. Commercial breweries/cideries (I am told) shoot for 15 PUs, so that temp is more than sufficient.

There is no one answer to how to hit 150F. Everything depends on the size of your pot, the volume of water you've got going, how many bottles you put in and how large they are. So beware when someone says something like "go to 190 F". They may be working with a smaller setup. If you're using a big, 8-gallon pot and doing 8 small bottles or less at a time, going to 190F could possibly push your cider over 173 F, boiling the ethanol and ruining the cider. But if you've got a real small setup and the pot is mostly full of bottles, then a water temp of 190 might be good.

Ideally, you want a quick heat-up and a quick cool-down, the less time you spend at high temps the less chance of a significant flavor change. This is why the big producers use "flash" pasteurization.
 
Size and quantity of bottles is a good point. I think the general guidelines here are pretty good, though...as I said, if you are using 12 oz beer bottles. That seems to be what these instruction are set for. As in canning, the point is raising the temperature of the contents of your container to a temperature that kills any critters. The process here seems to be the most practical for the basic home cider maker. Obviously, there are other methods and, when you use a bottle or container that varies from the 12 oz beer bottle, adjustments will need to be calculated. As for the volume, I'm using a 26 quart pressure canner base with the included false bottom. I'm not using pressure...just putting the lid on, slighty ajar, for safety. I tend to do 10 to 12 bottles, following the instructions here and it seems to have worked well. Here's a link to my journal from when I pasteurized a batch of tepache (a fermented pineapple drink):

http://mmmbrews.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/day-140-pasteurizing-tepache-bottling-ginger-beer-racking-cherry-belle-saison/
 
Has anyone used a strike water calculator to calculate the temp required for their volume of bottles and volume of pasteurizing water?


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Hey Phug, I did. From a previous post:


- 5 gallons of water in a 7.5 gallon pot,
- Water to 169 F
- 10 355 ml bottles of cider (moderate carbonation) at room temp (74F)
- In for 11 minutes

According to my measurements, the cider reaches 149 F during the 11th minute, well below the boiling point of ethanol but well above the 140F necessary to begin pasteurization. I am not enough of a scientist to know how to generalize these results, but there you go.
 
I have been using this method for a while now, but the thread has gotten so large I can't seem to find a good summary of the current thinking of how it should be done.

Since most new log-ins to the thread will likely go to the last page, how about a good summary of the method of pasteurizing 6 gallons of back-sweetened cider which has been bottle conditioned in beer bottles with crimp on caps to a moderate fizz.

Thanks.
 
Great info...I'm brewing a 5 gallon batch of Perry Hard Cider...1st time ever...and I am curious to know if you allow your back sweetener to clarify before adding it to your cider?? I'm planning to back sweeten my cider with a gallon of fresh pear cider but it is still raw...any thoughts? Thanks J.
 
If this has been covered already then I apologize for stating the obvious :)

When you are bottle conditioning , generally the warmer the temperature is the less time it can take for the bottles to carb. Yeast can work faster when warmer and slower when cooler.Thats probably why some seem to get insanely quick carbonation while others take days. If the bottles are stored in like a 73 degree room for example it should carb much faster than if they are in a 63 degree room. So when you are waiting for the right time to pasteurize you should take into consideration the temperature. And when you determine the carbonization is right you should be prepared to make the time to pasteurize them right away , assuming you can go to work for the day or get some sleep and THEN pasteurize will probably get you into trouble.

Also , if having trouble with the water cooling too quick when pasteurizing,....heres what I do.....let the bottles sit in a sink filled with hot tap water for 5 or ten minutes before putting them in the pan on the stove. This warms them up so they dont cool down your 190 degree water as fast , and will speed up the time it takes for them to get to the right temp once in the pan.
 
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I just wanted to thank Pappers for this entire thread as well as all the others who have posted. I read all 115 pages and feel confident taking my first plunge into cider.
Did a 6 gallon batch from whole foods juice. Started at 1062 and ended at .998. Racked and let settle for about 2 weeks due to travel. Sweeten with AJC back to 1012 and bottled.
Have it conditioning now and after 52 hrs I think I'm getting close to pasteurize. I've tested a couple of bottles and it seems close.
Tastes good but a bit thin. Anyway, I'll start by bringing up up 120 with tap water and then try 170. I tested with 7 - 16 oz bottles in a very large pot at it brought final temp in the tester up to 154-157 degrees so I think I'll be safe.
Anyway, thanks for everyone's contributions as it has given me confidence to give this a try.
I'm already looking forward to trying another batch and improving the flavor!
 
Had a bottle shatter while sitting on the counter cooling. I was using 190 for a temp and would not consider this batch over carbed by any means. They don't get much if any head and there does not seem like much pressure being released when the cap pried off. Definitely no gushers or anything even close. Anyways, I had done like 3 rounds of 6 bottles before one of the bottles I had removed ~1 minute prior burst. Luckily I didn't get cut or anything, just had to clean the mess. I almost wonder if that particular bottle was flawed and that is why it gave out. It didn't really seem like it went with a ton of force. Glass or liquid did't go flying very far like I would think it should have. Sure did startle me though. I moved down to 170 for 10 mins and finished the batch without incident. I have two more batches that need bottled and half tempted to just do them still or with just priming sugar. :(
 
Id say it probably had a flaw. Are they new bottles (assuming not). Even new ones can have flaws though.


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redking11 said:
Will home pressed apple juice that has been pasteurized but not had any preservatives added still ferment?
Click to expand...

Yes, it should be no problem. I usually give my juice 24 hours on pectic enzyme, and campden to prepare it and then pitch the yeast, ferment, bottle carb and, if necessary, pasteurize. Having the juice already pasteurized should not affect your fermentation, but you will need to pasteurize again if you add anything to prime the bottles to carbonate or if you backsweeten.
 
Cool. I have some in the fridge, and I want to store them at room temp without them carbonating.
 
I was also told you could use real sugar if you were going to sweeten and bottle in swing top bottles (such as Grolsch). Add sugar for taste snf carbonation and when the bottle is at the optimum carbonation and sweetness pasteurize it with postassium sorbate to each bottle so the carbonation stops. This would take place of heat pasturizing but give the same effect. Can anyone tell me if this is correct.
 
Sorbate won't stop an active fermentation, so likely not correct


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I read somewhere in the soda forum I think, that you should chill the beverage to allow the co2 to dissolve. Is this necessary? How long and how low does it have to be if it is true?
 
^ Not to steal your spotlight, but, to anyone's knowledge will this method work on root beer, in which the yeast is pitched immediately prior to bottling with LOTS of fermentable sugars. The only purpose of the yeast is carbonation. I started a thread in the soda forum, but it's not getting a whole lot of attention.

Controlling Carbonation
 
Worked perfectly. Sink at 120F for 10 min and stove at 175F for 10min. Cooled to about 160F. No bombs, worked perfect with swing top bottles. I think the seals let out a little pressure whilst on the stove. That might be why I had no bombs. I will only do this with German swing tops
 

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