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Cider Digest #0568
Subject: Cider Digest #568, 27 November 1995
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #568 27 November 1995
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Cider Digest #567, 18 November 1995 (Michael S Ferdinando)
Re: Cider Digest #567, 18 November 1995 (_Ralph Reed)
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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #567, 18 November 1995
From: msf2@cornell.edu (Michael S Ferdinando)
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 08:52:42 -0500
>Subject: bottling
>From: Peter Matra <stalkwol@cloud9.net>
>Date: Thu, 16 Nov 1995 19:53:42 -0500 (EST)
>
>I'm interested how everybody knows when to bottle, and what they bottle
>the cider in. I'm ready to bottle...I think. My cider took off naturally
>very fast and I think it is ready. Does anyone put sugar in the bottle?
>
I take hydrometer readings periodically (every two or three days). When
the specific gravity is unchanged on two successive readings, it's time to
bottle.
I bottle in beer bottles (various sizes, from 6-1/2 oz "splits" to 22 oz
bottles), glass soda bottles (32 oz), green glass Coke bottles (16-oz), and
Grolsch bottles (16 oz). The majority goes into 12-oz beer bottles,
because these are the easiest to come by. All bottles (except the Grolsch
bottles) are non-screw capped, and take a standard crown cap.
I usually mix in 3/4 cup of corn sugar into the 5-gallon batch at bottling
time. This gives the cider a very nice sparkle in the bottle. I add it to
the whole batch so the carbonation is the same in all bottles.
Happy brewing!
Michael S Ferdinando
Production Control Assistant--Cornellcard
Cornell University Office of the Bursar, 260 Day Hall, Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-5980 // msf2@cornell.edu
"It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious"
--Anonymous
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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #567, 18 November 1995
From: _Ralph Reed <reedr@ava.bcc.orst.edu>
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 11:46:48 -0800 (PST)
Dear Cider digest:
I have seen a number of posts in the last couple of years that
ask about when to bottle, whether to add sugar, and how to make sparkling
cider. It seems that a number of people are unclear about the process,
so I would like to list a few items:
1. Sparkling cider, bubbles, pressure etc. happens only when:
A. A beverage that contains unfermented sugar is put in a
sealed container (bottle).
B. Viable yeast in the bottle ferments the sugar and produces
carbon dioxide, which produces the pressure.
2. Unless a person has a reasonable knowledge of the concentration of sugar
present when the bottle is sealed, then the person is basically
performing an experiment in hand grenade production.
3. To know the sugar concentration at bottling, it is necessary to know
if any sugar is present before any sugar is added.
4. The safest way that I know to do all this is to ferment the beverage
to dryness (no sugar remaining, as determined by a sugar test--ask your
brewing supplies store--, or at least by no detectable sweet taste in the
beverage. Then add a measured amount of sugar and be sure to mix
thoroughly so that you don't have some bottles at half-strength and some
that are double. I suggest that you use a recipe from a published
source, whether it is in grams per liter, pounds per gallon, cups per 5
gallon carboy, or whatever. There are formulas for converting grams of
sugar per liter to pounds per square inch.
5. Even professionals, like the famous Champagne makers of France, will
have an occasional explosion because of defects in the glass. Because of
this, always treat the bottles as if they could "go off." That is, do
not shake warm bottles and hold them up to your eyes, etc. I recommend
goggles for handling, moving, and close examination of large suplies
of bottles. I've been making beer and sparkling wine for 16 years. I'm not
paranoid; just respectful of the possible hand grenades that I am
producing. By the way, I've had about two explosions and no injuries in
those 16 years.
6. An eye doctor in my town told me that two of the largest causes of
eye injuries come from racket balls and from champagne corks.
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End of Cider Digest #568
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