can i still bottle carb

[ssuchem]

well i have had a batch of cider that has been fermenting for a month now. well i finally racked it to secondary tonight. it came out very smooth. i used Nottingham yeast and 4 gallons final volume that contained: 3 cans ajc, 5lbs granny smith juiced, 1lbs pacific crest apples juiced, 1.5 lbs d, anjou pears juiced and 2lbs brown sugar. well my initial g was almost 1.1 and it finished at 1.00 on the dot, so i plugged it into a calculator and got an abv of 13%. well it sat on the yeast cake for quite awhile, and im wondering if ill still have enough yeast to carb or if they will all be dead after 2 weeks sitting after fermentation stopped in such a high abv setting. am i out of luck on carbing this one? the cider itself turned out very smooth, with a nice appley aroma, and hardly any alcohol bite, u can hardly tell its there at first, but then you get a warming sensation after swallowing. its a tad astringent, but also very clean tasting if that makes sense. it is also a light gold color and very very clear. i actually am quite proud of myself on this one. im still hoping i can bottle carb. if i want it to carb dry how much ajc should i add or what sg should i shoot for before bottling? if i can still bottle carb that is. i look forward to hearing opinions.

 

[ssuchem]

also i should mention that i originally thought the initial gravity was around 1.07 but after i added up all the grams of sugars, added to the water weight and divided by the 4 gallons i came with a density of 1.1 g/cc. i double checked my math and im fairly confident in my dimensional analysis as a chemist. this is just for clarity for anyone who saw my old thread.

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

I would say 13% is pushing the limits of Nottingham, but since it went completely to 1.000...you should have enough to carb in the bottle. If you are worried about it, you could add it a gram or two of a wine/champagne yeast with your priming sugar. Some inexpensive peace of mind.

Personally, I would condition it like wine, bottle it still and put it in the basement for a month or so. It sounds like you've made a really nice white table wine. congrats

 

[ssuchem]

hmm well i did an experiment this morning. added some sugar to some of the yeast cake i had saved, and well it seemed like the yeast came back to life and foamed up. but im thinking a few grams of champagne yeast is the best bet. i think i will age 1 gallon still , but i just really like my cider carbonated.

 

[sashurlow]

Even when you can't see the yeast, you have tons of it for bottle carbing. An example, I had some cider in a keg that turned very clear (kegs pull from the bottom so as the yeast settles it gets poured out into your glass). I added some concentrate to sweeten and it fermented dry a second time even with the yeast getting pulled off whenever I poured a glass.
I have also bottle carbed and had some bottles over fizzing and some being still all from the same batch. Go figure...

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

But at 13% abv...you have to be pushing the limits of nottingham. I'm not saying it won't go higher, but I've just never heard of more than 10-12%.

 

[ssuchem]

Just out of curiosity how much is a force carbing set up?

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

An entry level ball-lock keg system will typically start around $150 - $175. That will include a used 5 gallon corny keg, a regulator, a 5lb CO2 tank, a gas "in" line and an "out" line with a picnic tap on it. (with all the connections and clamps etc included also)