dinnerstick
Well-Known Member
Most of the batch was bottled in 750ml swing-top bottles (used) procured from a belgian beer seller and the rest in regular crown cap beer bottles. and one in a test 500 ml plastic fizzy water bottle. In went the small bottles, with a towel over the top and then the lid, at about 15 minutes there was a pop sound. honestly i thought it was the plastic one, as this was no screaming shrapnel bang. but sure enough it was glass. i hoped it was just a flaw in the bottle and carried on (very carefully) with the big ones. meanwhile the plastic one looked like i photoshopped it into a bloated hippo. it expanded like crazy and the liquid level was lower, don't know if that was due to increase in volume or if it somehow leaked. don't really care
1st batch of big ones went fine but at the end the water was very cool, 45 or so. don't know if they really got to temperature. labeled them so if they go bomb i know why. upped to 80 degrees for the next batch. after a few minutes they were really fizzing at the rubber seals. they fizzed for a while. the last batch also at 80 degrees fizzed less but there was fizzing. i'm sure these got up to temperature.
an update on this, I broke down and opened a couple of these 750 ml swing top bottles, all bottles were fine (ie intact) after aging a few weeks after pasteurization, so i am assuming they reached kill temperature during pasteurization. they opened with a satisfying pop and the level of gas was right where i wanted it. didn't compare to the crown cap bottles which could not have leaked so i don't know what the consequence of leaky seals was, don't really care. i got perfect semi-sweet fizzy sulfite-free natural yeast cider! i'm calling it a resounding success despite the loss of one small bottle. thanks