11 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

I'm planning way ahead here but I figured I may as well sort this out now. When you guys bottle - are you concerned about the headspace in the bottle in terms of O2 exposure? I wasn't planning on priming my cider so I'm not really expecting any fermentation to happen once the cider is in the bottle. I was considering lightly carbonating the cider in a keg and bottling from the keg but I'm not sure yet.

[positiveContact]

also - unrelated - I never took an initial gravity reading for my juice. what's typical?

[EWW]

If I bottle cider I force carb to around 2.5-2.75 volumes and cap on foam. I'm not sure how the O2 would effect it. Raw cider typically has an OG in the 1.045-1.055 range. Make sure you give it plenty of time to clear before it hits the bottle. If you pick up any residual SO2 do the 'penny test' to determine if a small copper addition will fix it. I posted a thread on the 'penny test' last year that has a good link in it. The small copper addition I made really cleaned up a couple batches from last year. Best of luck.

[positiveContact]

If I bottle cider I force carb to around 2.5-2.75 volumes and cap on foam. I'm not sure how the O2 would effect it. Raw cider typically has an OG in the 1.045-1.055 range. Make sure you give it plenty of time to clear before it hits the bottle. If you pick up any residual SO2 do the 'penny test' to determine if a small copper addition will fix it. I posted a thread on the 'penny test' last year that has a good link in it. The small copper addition I made really cleaned up a couple batches from last year. Best of luck.

Is that on the high end of carbonation for cider? that seems pretty spritzy to me.

[EWW]

Is that on the high end of carbonation for cider? that seems pretty spritzy to me.

style guidelines are wide open. I personally like a dry cider with lots of effervescence

[positiveContact]

style guidelines are wide open. I personally like a dry cider with lots of effervescence

so using your method - have you found the bottles to have a good shelf life? how long have you kept bottles around?

[EWW]

I bulk age in kegs and only bottle for events/outings/gifts. I'd assume the shelf life would be similar to beer gunned beer. Sorry I'm not much help.

[positiveContact]

I bulk age in kegs and only bottle for events/outings/gifts. I'd assume the shelf life would be similar to beer gunned beer. Sorry I'm not much help.

well - that's an option as well although I'd rather not tie up a keg long term like that.

[positiveContact]

anyone else have any experiences they'd like to share?

[EWW]

Why bottle still cider? If you go that way, maybe purge the bottles with CO2 before filling. The CO2 is heavy, and will displace any air even during filling.I bulk age in glass carboys and kegs. I've only ever bottle sparkling or kegged cider/perry.

how much sparkle do you like?

[positiveContact]

I don't have a way to purge my bottles. Would carbonating in a keg before bottling do the job well enough?

[positiveContact]

Just remove the disconnect from the gas line, stick it in the bottle, turn the gas on for a second or two. The CO2 will stay in the bottle until you fill, because its heavier than air. Best to do each bottle before filling.

okay!