Possible problem..Uncorked!

[Crash21]

I have a couple of gallons of Pappys Pub Cider that are in secondary and aging.
I racked it a couple of weeks ago to secondary after it had been sitting in the primary for about 6 weeks.
I left town for 2 weeks and got back today. I checked on it and one (1) gallon carboy had popped its cork.
I used campden and Meta when I racked it as I don't plan to carb.
Should the cider be OK or am I at risk with that gallon?

 

[jsiddall]

Good chance it is fine. What do you think you are at risk of?

 

[Yooper]

You could get some microbes in there or the cider could oxidize. It might be ok. Did you sulfite it? Did it have an airlock? (I'm trying to figure out what caused the stopper to pop off).

 

[jsiddall]

@Yooper is right, it could be infected or could be oxidized, but since you mentioned adding campden AND meta a few weeks ago I expect the sulfites have protected it. Time will tell.

You did say "cork" -- was that literal? If so then I guess I can then assume you didn't have an airlock, which explains the popping off part. The cider is pretty young but even if it is done fermenting unless you degassed it there is still a ton (technically more like a volume) of dissolved CO2 gas in it. Any rise in temperature will release some of that and quickly push your cork out.

I always use an airlock on cider carboys, and for wine I only put in a solid stopper after I have thoroughly degassed it.

 

[Foothiller]

If it were me, I would taste it, and if OK, go ahead and enjoy it. I have one batch that for reasons I refer to as a "learning experience", had trouble getting started, and I thought would end up as a sour cider if it even turned out drinkable. After a few weeks I needed the fermenter for something else, so I put it in 25-oz bottles and capped it since the FG had stopped changing. One of the bottles had a slightly lower than standard capping diameter, and a few weeks later when organizing my beer & cider closet, I found its cap on the shelf next to the bottle. That turned out to be the first tasting that it has turned out to be a tasty cider. (Too bad it wouldn't be repeatable.)

 

[Crash21]

The cider is 2 months old this week.. There was no activity in the airlock so I racked it and added Campden and Meta.
I did use a stopper (no hole and technically not a "cork"). I had 3 airlocks and have two batches still fermenting but last time I cleaned everything I dropped an airlock and my dog destroyed it..true story. So I'm down to 2.
I was just worried about infection or oxidizing. there is no headspace and I don't know how long it was unstoppered.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

The cider is 2 months old this week.. There was no activity in the airlock so I racked it and added Campden and Meta.
I did use a stopper (no hole and technically not a "cork"). I had 3 airlocks and have two batches still fermenting but last time I cleaned everything I dropped an airlock and my dog destroyed it..true story. So I'm down to 2.
I was just worried about infection or oxidizing. there is no headspace and I don't know how long it was unstoppered.

It was the release of CO2 & possibly temp changes that caused the solid stopper to pop out. I'd hit it with sulfites again, just to be sure. If something got in, the sulfites will get it, then dissipate later. Pick up another airlock & bung to replace the solid stopper & you should be good to go.
Regards, GF.

 

[Yooper]

It was the release of CO2 & possibly temp changes that caused the solid stopper to pop out. I'd hit it with sulfites again, just to be sure. If something got in, the sulfites will get it, then dissipate later. Pick up another airlock & bung to replace the solid stopper & you should be good to go.
Regards, GF.

Agreed.

And while you "can" switch to a solid bung after fermentation for bulk aging, I have wines that are two years old and still in carboys, and I have airlocks on them. Temperature changes, barometric changes, etc- that can all create pressure changes and a solid bung/cork may be dislodged.