Very small batch--question about carbonation

[Blackbear78]

I just found this site and I am excited to get to know more.

I am making my 1st two batches right now in hopes to have an idea on how this all works and MAYBE have a simple cider for my wedding to share with my wife.

Right now I have one new batch started that I made with 1 gallon of apple juice and I added 4oz of OJ to it and 1/2 cup of honey. I didn't watch to change the taste per say just add a little more food for the yeasts. That one in on day 2 and I have some nice yeast action, my bubbler is showing bubbles right now about 8 a minute or so. its steady now. I am using a 1 gallon clear growler this time.

The batch that I have the question on was my 1st ever. I only made 1/4 a gallon so don't really have a lot that I can use to do testing on and get readings. This one I have transferred. My wife and I tasted it and liked it, made us think of a dry wine. The apple taste was not there but still enjoyable. So it is in the "2nd" fermentation--which I have read is really just about clarifying no real fermentation goes on. I added some Splenda/Equal to the batch to sweeten it up a bit and all was good. However I added 1/4 cup of the original apple cider to it and put the bubbler back on. It was late so I had that brain fart.....I wanted it to be a still cider--then recalled because I added the cider into it which has sugar--so it now is creating carbonation. Right now again I have it out as if it was a new batch of cider being made. I have the bubbler on it and this is day 2 since I added the 1/4 cider to it and I am getting bubbles in the bubbler--because of course it is doing its thing and making carbonation from that sugar from the added cider. .

So my question is this--if I leave it out and treat it like its in its first stage of fermentation will this let the carbonation leave and still produce something that has a decent taste or do you think it will just bubble out and taste like I've left it sitting out and went flat. Should I just bottle this one up and deal with it being carbonated? I know that I have less then 1/4 a gallon of it and my bottles are 32oz so I don't think I would have to worry about bombs. I should get 1.5 bottles out of the batch that I have made.... but I might have to worry about it going flat cause of the air gap--or maybe over carbing because it has all that room in the bottle to fill with Co2? I read if it is in fridge it will stop that carbing, or should I do the hot water pasteurizing to stop the carbing?

Any help is apperciated.

 

[dmtaylor]

If you want a still cider, just give it enough time to ferment out again, then it should taste good and be ready to bottle. Should be ready in maybe another 5-7 days, something like that. You cannot stop fermentation in the refrigerator, it will continue just very slowly. Need to keep it warm to ferment out faster. The Splenda and/or Equal will keep it sweet to taste.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Blackbear78 - and welcome. Congrats on your upcoming wedding.
Carbonation or a sparkling wine or cider (or mead) depends on you bottling and sealing a drink while the yeast is still producing CO2. If the CO2 cannot escape the gas will increase in volume but because the bottle is capped there is no more space for the gas to fill and so pressure inside the bottle will increase and when you open the bottle the release of pressure allows the gas to rise up through the liquid and either create a head (as in beer, because of the proteins) or bubbles as in sparkling wines or ciders (not enough protein in fruit to trap the bubbles as a frothy head). If you allow the CO2 to escape as it is created then there is insufficient CO2 in the liquid when you bottle and if all the fermentable sugars have been fermented then there is no more sugar for the yeast to produce CO2 and so when you cap the bottle there is no increase in pressure inside the bottle and so no sparkling bubbles - You have a still drink.