Help with carbonation system. Carb cap?

[globell]

I'm completely confused on what to do or what to ask for.
Hubby has given me one more day to figure out what to do for carbonation/kegging but I'm so lost, been reading and just getting more lost.

I basically just want to carbonate my cider.

Don't want to store it in a keg, want to bottle but I assume that it pressurizes in a keg.

Something like a carb cap would be great but haven't read much reviews that totally sell me on it, so asking the question. I'd prefer glass but would change to PET if need be.

Thoughts?

Was thinking something like this....

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLFvw4CVKgY[/ame]

 

[oldstyle69]

so, easiest way would be to carb it up in the keg to your desired carb levels...then use a beer gun to slowly bottle the cider with out releasing to much CO2. you can make your own beer gun pretty easy with a picnic tap, some tubing and a drilled out stopper that fits your bottles.

 

[globell]

I don't own a keg.
I know they vary vastly in quality. Anything on the cost effective side recommended?

 

[Thorsbrew]

Used keg can be had for $40-50.

I mean i guess you could carb it up in 2L soda bottles if you wanted but youd just be shaking the bottle to carb and not sure how youd figure the carbonation level that way. Keg would be much easier, especially if you've got 5 gallons of it.

Cider is not something i ever liked or looked into making. That's alcoholic cider right? Doesnt that use yeast just like beer and then you can carbonate naturally in the bottles with a little added sugar just as you would beer?

 

[globell]

Used keg can be had for $40-50.

I mean i guess you could carb it up in 2L soda bottles if you wanted but youd just be shaking the bottle to carb and not sure how youd figure the carbonation level that way. Keg would be much easier, especially if you've got 5 gallons of it.

Cider is not something i ever liked or looked into making. That's alcoholic cider right? Doesnt that use yeast just like beer and then you can carbonate naturally in the bottles with a little added sugar just as you would beer?

Yes alcoholic cider so effectively more like an apple wine and beer but with bubbles (for me). Can bottle carb but it comes with some issues I'd like to not deal with and I like a sweeter brew so haven't found the right solution for us yet. thanks

 

[oldstyle69]

you can find smaller kegs as well, 3gal lil guys. but if you want, you can carb it in bottles, but you have to understand how it tastes now, will be different once you carb in the bottle, as the yeast will eat the sugar to make CO2 and dry out your cider and potentially explode them. one way is to bottle them all, put 2 or 3 in some plastic soda bottles, if you want to keep its sweetness where it is currently, you will have to add some corn sugar equaling the CO2 levels you are looking for. for a 5gal batch, you would use about 3oz of corn sugar in your total volume of cider, mix well and then bottle. keep at 65 to 70 degrees, and keep an eye on your plastic bottles. give them a squeeze after a week. if they feel really firm, try one of them. if its where you want, then you can pasteurize the rest and your good to go, if you want more co2, let it ride a few more days and try a second one. you will want to pasteurize them as the yeast will continue to eat up all the sugar and you will either have super dry cider or it will explode.

 

[globell]

Thanks. This is what I do now and I'd prefer to get the flavour right and bottle. Finding the rolling the dice with bottle carbing (flavour wise) is where I'm frustrated. I never seem to get the flacour I desire or the carbonation is inconsistant. Then theres the bottle bombs. Had one fall over after removing from the hot water and explode sending chards (and blood quite literally) flying....luckily I had the lid in my hand and it blocked most of the glass heading my way.
Don't mind pasteurizing but would like to get good carbonation consistantly and then have the flavour be bang on and not change so much. Maybe I'm just messing up somewhere.

 

[DaWhip]

I use carbacaps with PET bottles to carb my 1 gallon batches. They work pretty well. I usually bottle in a 2L or 1L soda bottle, squeeze all the air out to prevent oxidation, cap with a carbacap, then set it in the fridge to chill. When it is cold, I pull it out and hook it up to CO2 ~30psi and shake it for a couple minutes. For a cider, that would probably be sufficient.

For beer, I usually top it off ~40 PSI and stick it back in the fridge overnight. The next morning If the bottle is still really firm, I relieve pressure and assume it is ready to drink. If it has gotten soft, I hook it back up to CO2 at target pressure (~12psi depending on temp), give it a few shakes, and stick it back in the fridge. Repeat until it the bottle stays firm for a while after chilling - so scientific, I know, but it works well for me.

I have 3 carbacaps and usually bottle a 2L, a 1L, and a 20oz. I can usually get target carb levels on the 2nd day. I use them for sparkling water and kombucha as well, but for those I just chill, hook up to co2 ~30psi, shake 5 minutes, and drink.

All that said, I am getting a 2.5 gallon keg very soon and will be switching from the carbacaps to cabonating in the small keg. If I want to get it out of the keg for any reason I will bottle from there, which I already do fairly often with my big kegs.

 

[DaWhip]

One more suggestion - I have 1 SS cap with a diptube and two of the blue plastic carbacaps. I actually like the plastic ones a little better, seem to be less finicky with the QDs, but if you used the one with the diptube and added a diffuser stone, you could probably hit target CO2 pretty quickly with minimal shaking. Just an idea.