Natural fermentation advice

[parrothead600]

I picked up a gallon of unpasturized, no-preservative cider from the local orchard. The starting gravity was 1.055 when I put it in a sterilized 1 gallon carbouy with an airlock. I did not add anything else(campden, pectic enzyme, or yeast) and let the wild yeast go on it's own.
After approx 2 weeks, I siphoned it into another sterilzed carbouy & dumped the eccess sediment down the drain. The gravity is at 1.008 and it is beginning to clarify. The taste is acceptible.
So here's my plan: I plan on putting it in the refrigerator to stop the fermentation & let it continue to clarify. After it has clarified, I plan on bottling it with no priming sugar. I plan on storing the bottles in the basement which has been 61-63 degrees. After 7-10 days, I plan on opening the first bottle to test the carbonation level and either pasturizing the rest or just keeping them in the refrigerator if the carbonation is good.
Is there anything wrong with this plan? Any other advice would be appreciated

 

[Fletch78]

Be aware that feral yeasts can be much hardier to cold temps, and may not necessarily crash or go to sleep. There could be some bacteria working as well, even if you can't detect it at this point, particularly the kind that makes vinegar. Flip top bottles come in handy because you can periodically check the carbonation level without having to recap, and if they are clear bottles you can watch sediment and infection signs, basically keeping a better eye on it. I love those bottles, particularly for experimental things like what you are doing. I've only intentionally done the wild fermentation with apples one time, fail. Good luck!

 

[parrothead600]

Be aware that feral yeasts can be much hardier to cold temps, and may not necessarily crash or go to sleep. There could be some bacteria working as well, even if you can't detect it at this point, particularly the kind that makes vinegar. Flip top bottles come in handy because you can periodically check the carbonation level without having to recap, and if they are clear bottles you can watch sediment and infection signs, basically keeping a better eye on it. I love those bottles, particularly for experimental things like what you are doing. I've only intentionally done the wild fermentation with apples one time, fail. Good luck!

So what you are saying is: that I cold crash it, I should still take readings to see if it is still fermenting. Correct?
Another idea that I had was to use a clear plastic coke bottle for one of the bottles and use that bottle to monitor the progress. If it begins to over-carbonate, I will be able to tell by giving the bottle a quick squeeze. Is anything wrong with this logic?

 

[Fletch78]

So what you are saying is: that I cold crash it, I should still take readings to see if it is still fermenting. Correct?
Another idea that I had was to use a clear plastic coke bottle for one of the bottles and use that bottle to monitor the progress. If it begins to over-carbonate, I will be able to tell by giving the bottle a quick squeeze. Is anything wrong with this logic?

The plastic bottle thing is great, but the problem is that it will be firm even at low-carb levels, so you don't really know how much pressure is in it until ... you open it or it blows up. The problem with opening it is that the pressure is released, so you really only get one 'reading' out of it, because the other bottles still have that pressure.

 

[Fletch78]

Basically, you are on the right track, be mindful of what's going on, you seem like an intelligent person. With experimental things like this, there really aren't right or wrong answers, just internet opinions. I'm interested to see what other more experienced folks have to say.