How to Bottle Cider at Home is Part 6 and the final episode of the Cidermaker Series “Oh September” for 2020
Learn How to Make Cider at Home in Part 1 of this Cidermaking Series.
Part 5 To Rack or Not To Rack is a must listen too because it brings you through the conditioning of your cider before bottling.
Now lets get into the basic of bottling cider at home!
When to bottle
- When the Specific Gravity is at least 1.000 or lower.
What is Specific Gravity (SG)?
- Specific Gravity is always discussed as a measurement of “relative density” between the water in solution and all else. Apple juice is primarily water and the rest I consider luscious apple sugars. Fermentation is the process of yeast converting the sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
- Tap water has a SG of 1.000.
- Apple Juice, on average, before fermentation has begun has a SG of 1.040 to 1.065.
- Apple Juice SG will vary depending upon the growing season that year, was it dry or wet year, are the apples fully ripe, the age of the apple tree, and the apple variety are some of the key factors affecting Specific Gravity.
You might not see the airlock bubbling away, but your cider may still be fermenting. To be safe and avoid bottling cider that is still off gassing CO2 – Check the SG!
How to measure SG?
- Measure Specific Gravity with a Hydrometer. The Hydrometer typically comes with a plastic tube that can be filled at least 3/4 of the way with fresh pressed apple juice. Make sure that the temperature of the juice is no cooler than 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 degrees Celsius and no hotter than 70F or 21C.
What happens if I bottle my cider while it is still fermenting?
- The bottle of cider can explode. Bottle bombs are very dangerous and can inflict serious injury to anyone nearby. When in doubt – check the SG.
During Bottling you get to choose whether you want:
- Still
- Bubbly
- Dry
- Semi Sweet
- Sweet
How to make Still and/or Dry Cider?
- Siphon the cider directly into your clean and sanitize bottles and cap!
How to make your cider “Bubbly” in the bottle is called Bottle Conditioning.
Options 1,2,3 In order of ease.
1. For beginner makers starting out, the safest and most tried and true method is to add both yeast and priming sugar at the time of bottling.
SG needs to be at or below 1.000
2. Pet Nat is bottling the cider before it has completely fermented and the yeast are still active, but not over active. Priming Sugar then added at the time of bottling helps reboot the remaining yeast and thus create delightful bubbles. Pet Nat best done after you have made a couple batches of cider and have the gist of bottling.
3. Méthode Champenoise is the classical way of adding bubbles and is a 2-step process.
I recommend listening to my chat with Chuck Shelton of Albemarle Ciderworks in Virginia as he explained this technique quite well.
Forced Carbonation is done when kegging cider to make it bubbly.
Making Semi Sweet or Sweet Cider requires adding a bit of sugar to the cider, which is called “Back Sweetening “
- Back Sweetening is done right before you bottle. You get to chose how sweet you want your cider, by adding sugar and tasting! Tons of fun!!!
- Any sugar will work. It is really a about your personal preferences, be it honey, store bought priming sugar, raw sugar, maple syrup. Experimenting and finding the right fit is part of the joy of Cidermaking.
How racking affects the amount of yeast in cider.
- I usually rack my cider 3 times over the course of 7 months and then a day or two before bottling if I see Fine Lees on the bottom of the carboy. If you are bottling 3 months after primary fermentation has ended, chance are there will still be some yeast cells in the cider. Those cells will get kicked started when you add sugar to the cider right before you bottle. The key is to add the right amount of sugar so that you get s one bubbles, but not so much the cider froths over when you open a month later.
Equipment Needed to Bottle Cider – go to Shop tab and find links to purchase items below.
- 2 cases of cleaned and sanitized 12 ounce bottles
- Hydrometer
- Sanitizing solution
- Racking Siphon, Tubbing and bottle filler
- 26 mm Bottle Caps
- Bottle Capper for 26mm caps
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