Sparkling Cider - Type of Bottle?

[Izzoard]

Hi all,

I just started a new fermentation and I intend to produce some sparkling.

My question is what type of bottle is required? Will I get away with Grolsh bottles or do I need Champaine bottles?

Cheers!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

If you prime it like beer, the Grolsh bottles will work great. If you prime it for higher volumes (like champagne), you'll need champagne bottles... I can tell you from experience that priming higher than 3 volumes is not a good idea for cider/apfelwein. Stick with 2-2.5 volumes & you'll be much happier. You can use either beer bottles or champagne bottles at that pressure, it just depend on how fancy you want to get. Don't use ordinary wine bottles for sparkling beverages though, they aren't designed to withstand the pressure & will either pop their corks, or explode. Regards, GF.

 

[Izzoard]

If you prime it like beer, the Grolsh bottles will work great. If you prime it for higher volumes (like champagne), you'll need champagne bottles... I can tell you from experience that priming higher than 3 volumes is not a good idea for cider/apfelwein. Stick with 2-2.5 volumes & you'll be much happier. You can use either beer bottles or champagne bottles at that pressure, it just depend on how fancy you want to get. Don't use ordinary wine bottles for sparkling beverages though, they aren't designed to withstand the pressure & will either pop their corks, or explode. Regards, GF.

Thanks for the response!

Could you explain what you mean by priming? And what the volume relates to?

Cheers!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Priming is just adding a small, measured amount of sugar to your must/wort/cider at bottling time. The yeast eat the sugar & make a tiny bit more alcohol & just the right amount of CO2 to carbonate the beverage in the bottle. Volume is the amount of pressure inside the bottle, some say atmospheres instead, but they mean the same thing. So 1 volume is equal to the ambient (barometric) pressure of the earth's atmosphere, 2 volumes (or atmospheres) is twice that amount, and so on. Beer is usually under 2 - 3 volumes, or atmospheres, depending on the style. Lambics are under more pressure than stouts. Hope that clears it up. Regards, GF.
Edit: This explains it in more detail than I can: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html

 

[Izzoard]

Priming is just adding a small, measured amount of sugar to your must/wort/cider at bottling time. The yeast eat the sugar & make a tiny bit more alcohol & just the right amount of CO2 to carbonate the beverage in the bottle. Volume is the amount of pressure inside the bottle, some say atmospheres instead, but they mean the same thing. So 1 volume is equal to the ambient (barometric) pressure of the earth's atmosphere, 2 volumes (or atmospheres) is twice that amount, and so on. Beer is usually under 2 - 3 volumes, or atmospheres, depending on the style. Lambics are under more pressure than stouts. Hope that clears it up. Regards, GF.
Edit: This explains it in more detail than I can: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html

Thanks very much! It's clear now!

 

[mtlcafan79]

Volume is the amount of pressure inside the bottle, some say atmospheres instead, but they mean the same thing. So 1 volume is equal to the ambient (barometric) pressure of the earth's atmosphere, 2 volumes (or atmospheres) is twice that amount, and so on. Beer is usually under 2 - 3 volumes, or atmospheres, depending on the style. Lambics are under more pressure than stouts. Hope that clears it up. Regards, GF.
Edit: This explains it in more detail than I can: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html

So you're telling me that you carbonate your beers at 28-42 psi???

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Well, I've never gauged a bottle of beer for pressure, nor done the math to calculate the actual psi in a bottle of homebrew. I'm no scientist, but I think the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 14.7 psi, though I think this should read as zero on a pressure gauge. So if I'm thinking this right (and I could be wrong), the gauge should read roughly 14.7 psi for what I'm calling "2 volume's." Maybe somebody with a kegging system or more scientific knowledge on this subject than I have will chime in & answer your question with more accuracy than I can. Regards, GF.