Preserving your cider?

[steve-in-kville]

I've been out of the game for a few years and just started getting back into brewing. I am playing around making cider in small gallon batches until I find a few recipes that I would like to make in volume.

I've heard of bottling cider, but I do a lot of cooking and canning at home. Any way that cider could be preserved in mason jars? I have an endless supply of them and this would be convenient.

Thanks for the help and I am sure I will have lots more questions as I get back into the hobby!

 

[AidanSavage]

Mason jars might leave too much surface area exposed to the air within the jar to preserve the cider for long. See if any of your friends are regular drinkers as well, if they drink crown tops (pop top/not screw top) brands, have them save the bottles for you. Promise them a bottle or two from your batches if need be, though they might be willing to give you the bottles free and clear. Just be aware that if you decide to scale up to 5gal batches, you'd need around 50-55 12oz bottles, so it might be worth ordering a case or two from your local homebrew store, and filling the rest of your "stock" if your friends arent much in the way of drinkers.

Since you've done canning, I'm going to be fairly accurate in assuming that you know how to stove-top pasteurize mason jars? A similar process is done to pasteurize cider in the glass bottle. This kills off the any suspended yeast (after cold crashing the fermentor) and eliminates bottle bombs if done immediately. If you try to make a bottle carbed (bottle conditioned) cider, make sure your pasteurizing pot has a lid you can secure. Mainly because there IS going to be a risk of a bottle breaking in the pot no matter what precautions you take, and a secured lid contains the pieces.

Beyond that, you COULD buy AJ in glass gallon or half gallons for a few batches, then bottle in those and keep them refrigerated to keep any suspended yeast dormant.