Simplest way to carbonate first cider batch?

[Dhelderman]

So I am on day 3 of my initial fermentation for my first batch of hard apple cider. Used 5 gallons of unfiltered, pasteurized cider and Cider House Select yeast. After not seeing any action in the airlock the first day or so, I am now getting about 10 bubbles per minute. Started with an OG of about 1.045 and have not checked since starting. I am planning to check at about the 1 week point. My plan is to rack into secondary until it becomes relatively clear, and then bottle.

My question is this: what is the easiest, safest way for a beginning cider maker to get sparking or carbonated cider? I do not have a kegging setup. This is definitely the part I'm most confused about. I know you experienced brewers get tired of answering the easy questions for newbies, but I would be very grateful.

Pasteurizing seems like a lot of risk and hassle and I don't want to end up with bottle bombs. I understand the basics of brewing and fermentation, and I am just a little confused about adding sugar to bottles before bottling the cider, etc. Thanks, guys!

 

[paperairplane]

If all you want to do is carbonate your dry cider, you can add priming sugar and bottle as normal. This will be a fairly dry fizzy drink, kind of like champagne. If you let it finish and bottle with no priming sugar, this will be a dry apple wine and still.

People pasteurize because they want to both carbonate and backsweeten for a sweet cider. This is to make something like a commercial cider / woodchuck, etc. The sugar used to backsweeten combined with priming sugar would be too much if just bottled normally and would overcarb for sure.

I would also just let it ride in primary - 1045 isn't that big, it shouldn't take that long to finish.

 

[Dhelderman]

So if I let it ferment til dry; very close to SG of 1.000, then add priming sugar I'm not going to end up with bottle bombs?

 

[Maylar]

So if I let it ferment til dry; very close to SG of 1.000, then add priming sugar I'm not going to end up with bottle bombs?

Correct. Unless you add too much. There are calculators for that on Northern Brewer's web pages.

And, if you would also like it sweet (to whatever level is good for you) you can add non fermentable sugar like Xylitol without any risk.

 

[Dhelderman]

Thanks a bunch. I've seen the calculators and will definitely be careful. I may try the xylitol as well to sweeten.

Does it matter when xylitol is added? Just add xylitol to the bulk hard cider before bottling, add priming sugar to each bottle and then cap?

 

[eman_resu]

What I do is: leave the cider in primary for around a month - ciders can ferment slowly (depending on yeast, temp, nutrients...), rack to secondary, top off with fresh juice if necessary, then leave it for a couple of months. Rack to bottling bucket, bulk prime and bottle like beer, using a priming calculator. Let carbonate and condition at room temp for a couple of months before first taste.

But I'm not one to rush things You could also skip secondary as long as it's finished fermenting and has had some time to clean up after itself.

Hope this helps.

 

[mackus2]

I had success once fermenting a cider until it was semi sweet, bottling, conditioning for about a week, and then chilling the bottles to keep from over-carbonating. This was a pretty good method for getting a sweet and sparkling cider, but I've only done it once. It seemed like a worry to get the timing for everything right and making sure all of the bottles can stay chilled until drinking.

 

[Maylar]

Thanks a bunch. I've seen the calculators and will definitely be careful. I may try the xylitol as well to sweeten.

Does it matter when xylitol is added? Just add xylitol to the bulk hard cider before bottling, add priming sugar to each bottle and then cap?

Add to taste at bottling time. I bottle 1 or 2 gallons at a time. I'll rack into a stainless soup pot, add Xylitol to taste (3 TBSP per gallon works for me), then mix in priming sugar and bottle. You need to be certain that the priming sugar is dissolved so each bottle is the same. Or you can add to each bottle as you said.

 

[Dhelderman]

Thanks--you guys are super helpful. Appreciate all the guidance. Excited to get this first batch bottled and get a taste. I'm getting some good fermentation now and am about 3.5 days into primary. Getting 15-20 bubbles a minute. I know that's not a super reliable indicator but it tells me something is happening!

 

[TeeJo]

Another option is to sweeten to taste on opening the bottle.

The German tradition apparently, is to add a shot of Sprite to sweeten and add carbonation to a glass of apple wine. Per Edwort's epic apfelwein thread.

I found that a spoon of frozen apple juice concentrate added a really nice sweetness and flavor to make a more 'commercial' tasting beverage, when I was drinking the stepped up cider that I made , more an apple wine, I guess, as there were a half dozen cans of concentrate added over it's fermentation, and it came out very dry, and potent.

TeeJo

 

[z-bob]

Bottle it just like beer after it clears, with priming sugar. (I like to use 1 liter plastic pop bottles with screw caps, and put 2 C&H sugar cubes in the bottle to prime.) You can tell how well it's carbonated by squeezing the bottle.

It will be dry and fizzy, and you can add a squirt of simple syrup to your glass to sweeten it.

 

[frettfreak]

Correct. Unless you add too much. There are calculators for that on Northern Brewer's web pages.

And, if you would also like it sweet (to whatever level is good for you) you can add non fermentable sugar like Xylitol without any risk.

So if I let it ferment til dry; very close to SG of 1.000, then add priming sugar I'm not going to end up with bottle bombs?

there is some great advice in this thread for you. I havent personally used xylitol, but heard it works well.

Like others have mentioned, dont rush your cider. first couple of batches i was worried cause it was taking for EVER to get down to FG. Just make sure your temps are ok and let it ride. Check your gravity though and if it hasnt moved in a day or 2, you can pitch in a little yeast nutrient or energizer and it will give the yeast a little kick, alternatively you can increase your ferm temp by a few degrees which get the yeast moving a little more too. Here is how mine usually go:

Primary for 2-3 weeks. You can really control how long this takes if you get to know your yeast well. I usually ferm around 66 - 68.

I rack to secondary for about a week, then cold crash for 3-4 days. the cold crash will help drop a lot of the yeast out of suspension and clear up your cider. It will also limit the possibility of bottle bombs.

It really depends on the cider you are trying to make, but i find that cider fermented to 1.000 with no back sweetening to be very dry, bland, and lacking much character from the apples at all. If this is what you like then you will be good.

i try to transfer mine to secondary when I am around 1.007 - 1.010 and have found that IMO, this makes a better cider, at least to the tastes of everyone i brew for. I always back sweeten with 2 cans of concentrated juice (apple or otherwise) and maybe a little home made caramel syrup.

IF you backsweeten though, there is a thread in the forums on pasteurizing in the dishwasher that seems to work very effectively and with very little risk. My very first batch, i pasteurized outside, using my kettle. thought i did everything right, but lost about 8 bottles and almost an eye.... lol after that, i bought a kegging setup and havent looked back. :rockin:

 

[Dhelderman]

Update: I am exactly 1 week out from starting my cider. It started at about 1.045 and is now down to 1.012. Seems to be coming along nicely. I took a 3 oz or so sample and it was actually really, really tasty. Good balance, still a good amount of apple flavor.

My plan is to rack to secondary in another week or two once it's fermented completely out, let it sit in secondary for another few weeks to clear, then bottle and carbonate using priming sugar. Still undecided if I'll sweeten using xylitol or something else--I may just keep this batch a simple carbonated dry cider as its batch #1. Thanks to all you guys for the help this far.