First Cider Batch questions - Backsweeten, force carbonation - pasteurization

[collin8579]

So I'm new to brewing, but I'm starting with hard cider. I'm on my secondary fermentation and I'm thinking about bottling. I want a sweeter cider, so I'm looking at options to kill off all the yeast and backsweeten. I ended up getting a nice kegging setup on craigslist for pretty cheap, so I plan to use that to force carbonate instead of using conditioning tablets/whatever.

I'm looking at two different ways to kill off the yeast; pasteurization and a potassium sorbate / campden tablet combination.
I am reading that the chemical way to kill off yeast and prevent it from refermenting is less reliable than pasteurization.
I also don't want to store my bottles in the fridge, I want them to be shelf stable.

This is where I get into my questions.
I was thinking of using a sous vide setup to pasteurize, but have two questions

ONE: If I backsweeten and use force carbonation, then fill my bottles, can I still pasteurize? I've only seen instances of pasteurization when people let the yeast create carbonation. I've not seen an instance of people force carbonating then doing it.

TWO: Can i just pasteurize the liquid before I force carbonate it? As in a whole batch of still hard cider I bring up to pasteurization temperature, then lower, put in a keg, sweeten it and force carbonate, then bottle.
Would that damage my hard cider or mead or whatever I'm doing?

Thanks for your time,
Collin

 

[Maylar]

So I'm new to brewing, but I'm starting with hard cider. I'm on my secondary fermentation and I'm thinking about bottling. I want a sweeter cider, so I'm looking at options to kill off all the yeast and backsweeten. I ended up getting a nice kegging setup on craigslist for pretty cheap, so I plan to use that to force carbonate instead of using conditioning tablets/whatever.

I'm looking at two different ways to kill off the yeast; pasteurization and a potassium sorbate / campden tablet combination.
I am reading that the chemical way to kill off yeast and prevent it from refermenting is less reliable than pasteurization.

There is a tendency to stabilize with chemicals before most of the yeast has cleared from solution (people are in a hurry). If done correctly, it's quite reliable. There's another consideration tough - some people are sensitive to the sulfites that are used.

I also don't want to store my bottles in the fridge, I want them to be shelf stable.

This is where I get into my questions.
I was thinking of using a sous vide setup to pasteurize, but have two questions

ONE: If I backsweeten and use force carbonation, then fill my bottles, can I still pasteurize? I've only seen instances of pasteurization when people let the yeast create carbonation. I've not seen an instance of people force carbonating then doing it.

Yes, but the advantage of force carbing is that you can achieve higher levels of carbonation that would bust bottles at pasteurization temps.

TWO: Can i just pasteurize the liquid before I force carbonate it? As in a whole batch of still hard cider I bring up to pasteurization temperature, then lower, put in a keg, sweeten it and force carbonate, then bottle.
Would that damage my hard cider or mead or whatever I'm doing?

Thanks for your time,
Collin

Some folks say that heating changes the taste. But your plan would work.

 

[collin8579]

Thank you, hmm

I'm thinking of pasteurizing the entire keg, then backsweetening, carbonating, and bottling,,