Proof that preheating is a better way to bottle pasteurize

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Daze

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couple weeks ago I made a post Another way to bottle pasteurize Describing a technique that I came up with based on Pappers pioneering concept. The basic difference was to preheat the bottles so that you can pasteurize at a lower temp. (reducing the chance of bombs) The advantages to this technique besides a safer method are, it works faster (in other words the bottles get up to pasteurizing temp sooner), you can do more bottles at once, reduce thermal shock to the bottles and it allows you to heat up the stock pot faster between batches.

Here is a batch I did today with 14 bottles, talk about a crowded pot. :) :)
crowdedpot.jpg

As is stated in my previous post I started the temp at 175ºF and preheated my bottles with 120º Tap water. Soaked them in the tap water while I was weighting for the pasteurizing bath came up to temp, then transferred them to the pot. After a 10 minute soak in the pasteurizing pot the temp dropped from 175º to 160º. Just to make sure the bottles were not still heating I gave the bottles another 10 minutes to see if there is a temp change and took a temp reading. The temp only dropped 2º so that tells me that the temp of the liquid in the bottles was the same or close to the same as the bath after the 10 minutes which is how long I normally pasteurize for.
 
So that's how you make Corona safe to drink...

;)

On a more serious note, I'll likely be pasteurizing tomorrow. I remember reading your original method a while back - think I'll have to give it another once over and decide which way I'm going to go.
 
I did the same thing last night. Heated room tempature bottles in a tap hot water bath of 130 degreesF for about 15 minutes, or until my main pot water was at 180 F. Then I placed the bottles in there for 15 minutes. Great minds think alike.

Tom
 
I guess you would have to use new tap water for each batch or perhaps use a kettle to warm it up.
 
dmulligan said:
I guess you would have to use new tap water for each batch or perhaps use a kettle to warm it up.

You could also pour some of your pasteurizing pot water into your pre heat bath to warm it
 
You could also pour some of your pasteurizing pot water into your pre heat bath to warm it
But then it will take longer for the water to heat up for your next round of pasteurizing.

Before I do STP, I turn the water heater all the way up, then wait an hour. Then for each round, I fill the sink with HOT (135+ degree)water from the tap. I let a dozen bottles sit in this as the pot heats up on the stove. When i get to the right temp on the stove, i turn the stove off, take the bottles out of the sink, and put them in the pot. Then while they pasteurize for 10 minutes, i drain the sink, put in another 12 bottles, and fill the sink with hot water again. repeat as many times as necessary.
 
UPDATE
Just thought I would let everyone know that I have been using this technique for months now and there have not been any problems. I have not had any fermentation restart and I have not broken any bottles during the process.
 
Here is a batch I did today with 14 bottles, talk about a crowded pot. :) :)
As is stated in my previous post I started the temp at 175ºF and preheated my bottles with 120º Tap water. Soaked them in the tap water while I was weighting for the pasteurizing bath came up to temp, then transferred them to the pot. After a 10 minute soak in the pasteurizing pot the temp dropped from 175º to 160º. Just to make sure the bottles were not still heating I gave the bottles another 10 minutes to see if there is a temp change and took a temp reading. The temp only dropped 2º so that tells me that the temp of the liquid in the bottles was the same or close to the same as the bath after the 10 minutes which is how long I normally pasteurize for.

Why? What kind of beer are you making that you need to pasturize it?

Low Alcohol or Low Hop rates?

DPB
 
Why? What kind of beer are you making that you need to pasturize it?

Low Alcohol or Low Hop rates?

DPB

with beer the only fermentables in the bottle are the priming sugars you add. With cider if you want it to be sweet and carbonated there is more sugar than what is needed to prime. If you do not stop the process once the correct CO2 levels have been reached (time to pasteurize) than the bottles will continue to carbonate until they explode.
 
HAREEBROWNBEEST said:
Or you can just place them in the fridge and drink them before they explode:)

Also is there anything wrong with drinking a cider that has not been pasteurized? Health reason wise?
 
How long should I wait after capping the bottles before pasteurizing them? I know I should check them regularly, but about how long should I expect? Also, does the cider carb any quicker than traditional carbing with priming sugar, or does it still take 2-3 weeks. I would imagine it would be a little quicker because there's no lag time; the yeast are already doing their thing.
 
to many variables to give you an exact answer. Some people bottle active cloudy cider to retain natural sweetness after pasteurization. Because of the CO2 already in solution and the high quantities of active yeast they are fully carbed up in 8 hours or less. A clear cider with a slow yeast may take 3 weeks. A clear cider with fast yeast like ec-1118 can carb in as little as 3 days if the room is warm, but it takes mine almost a week and a half because I keep it in my cool basement. It is a lot of trial and error. When I started making cider my first few batched were under carbed because I was erring on the side of caution and pasteurizing to soon.
 
When testing the cider before you pasteurize, do you wait until it is carbed or just has co2 and pressure?
 
those are the same thing. When it is carbed or carbonated it will have co2 and pressure. I look for the same things that happen when I open a pop or beer in a glass bottle. First a hiss when I brake the seal, then a mist/cloud that forms in the neck when you first remove the lid and finally a steady stream of bubbles usually enough to create a thin layer of foam at the top of the beverage.
 
When I started making cider my first few batched were under carbed because I was erring on the side of caution and pasteurizing to soon.[/QUOTE said:
This is so trite mine are lightly Carb stove top scares me just a Tad....
 
Why does someone have to pasturize anyway? I dont get it... I just rack off dead yeast and bottle with some priming sugar and wait a few months and drink... Lots of bubbles and tastes great.. Why does anyone pasturize? Am I skipping a step?
 
you pasteurize to get a sweet carbonated cider. the extra sugar needed to make it sweet will also over carbonate the brew to the point of bottles exploding if you do not pasteurize to kill the yeast once the desired co2 level has been reached.
 
Ah got ya... I never bothered to pasturize... I would prime with 1-2 cooper sugar cubes and they sit after that for months and never blow up... And the carb level is pretty good... Not like a beer but bubbly... But how are you supposed to tell when desired co2 is reached without opening one up?
 
how are you supposed to tell when desired co2 is reached without opening one up?

exactly you open one up, look at it see if its enough. if not recap and let it sit a few days. Because it will be pasteurized any potential contamination will be killed.
 
My capper leaves an indentation on the caps and you can tell that your bottles ready when that indentation starts to swell, or just use a plastic bottle to gauge.
 
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