Not back sweetening, do I need campden for bottling if using priming sugar?

[jjtrinva]

My first go at a simple dry cider recipe. I don't plan on back sweetening before bottling, but was going to add some priming sugar for carbonation. Do I need to stop fermentation with campden or other method so any residual yeast doesn't react with it and create bottle bomb issues? Just a bit nervous reading it gets tricky with cider due to all the sugar involved.

 

[Yooper]

Campden is an antioxidant. If you're aging the cider, you may want to use it.

It doesn't stop or inhibit fermentation even a tiny bit.

 

[jjtrinva]

Since I can't figure out how to delete and repost...

Thanks Yooper...clearly I'm still learning. But I'm looking for help on my original issue. If I'm not back sweetening...but, I AM, adding priming sugar to carb, do I need to worry about stopping fermentation to avoid bottle bombs? If so, what's the best way to do that?

Thanks!

Jason

 

[Yooper]

If you stop fermentation (by freezing the cider?), they won't bottle carb.

It's very hard to make a sweet sparking cider without extraneous measures like pasteurizing, kegging and force carbonating, etc. The yeast will ferment what they will ferment, and won't stop because you want them to. They don't know the difference between priming sugar and the sugars added to sweeten the cider.

If the cider is fermented dry, and is finished, then adding priming sugar to carbonate isn't an issue at all and has no risk of bottle bombs.

Making a still (non-carbonated) sweet cider is easy as well, and would require stabilizing the cider once finished and clear with sorbate before sweetening. There is a cider "sticky" thread above this thread, called 'cider for beginners' that could be helpful with the specifics of this.

 

[bmd2k1]

If you refrigerate the cider immediately after bottling....is pasteurizing still required?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Yes, refrigeration will slow but not stop fermentation. If you drink your cider within a week or so you’ll be fine but eventually the yeast will eat the sugar and the resulting CO2 will create pressure.

 

[RPh_Guy]

If you refrigerate the cider immediately after bottling....is pasteurizing still required?

You'd need time to allow it to carbonate (e.g. one to four weeks)... in addition to what @AZCoolerBrewer said.

 

[madscientist451]

Do I need to stop fermentation with campden or other method so any residual yeast doesn't react with it and create bottle bomb issues?

Let the fermentation stop on its own. Use a hydrometer to take gravity readings.
Once your airlock activity stops, take a gravity reading, then take another one 3-4 days later and see if they are the same. There's a real good chance your first cider isn't going to taste like you want it to, so taste the cider before you decide to bottle.
Bottling/carbonation will not improve your cider, so if there are any issues, deal with them before bottling. Bottling/carbonation may not even be the best thing for your cider, if you don't like the flavor you may want to blend it with another cider, or just "blend in the glass" with beer or some other beverage as you drink it. You can try all kinds of different things to mix the cider with and see how you like different flavor combinations.
1/2 gallon glass jugs come in handy for this, just transfer your cider to the jugs and keep one in the fridge for whenever you want some, its way easier than sanitizing/filling/capping all those bottles.
Get some Jack Daniels barrel chips (for smoking meat) and put some in a quart jar with some cider and you'll get an "oak aged" flavor.

 

[dmtaylor]

If you refrigerate the cider immediately after bottling....is pasteurizing still required?

Yes. Otherwise kaboom. Yeast will keep on going even at refrigerator temperatures. My cider is fermenting to dryness in the refrigerator as we speak, and I have done this many times before too.

 

[bmd2k1]

Great info for this newbie....so in lieu of adding any chemicals....I need to plan on bottle pasteurizing. From the sounds of it....tossing in dishwasher sanitizing cycle is the way to go.

So how long do ya wait between bottling & pasteurizing so things can carb up a bit?

 

[dmtaylor]

So how long do ya wait between bottling & pasteurizing so things can carb up a bit?

I have never done this, but I've heard of others who do something like:

Open a test bottle every ~7 days and when it is carbonated to your liking, then pasteurize.