Heat Pasteurization

[uatuba]

Never again. It sounds like WW3 inside the cooler I'm using to pasteurize. I'm glad I chose to use the cooler method rather than the stovetop method. I'm also only using 150* water, which according to the charts I've read, should be sufficient if held at 10 minutes. I also preheated the bottles to 120*.

I don't know what the heck went wrong. I guess my wife will be enjoying sulfitey goodness for her sweet ciders from now on. And to think, all this time and I've never had a bottle bomb.

 

[JimRausch]

Wow, sorry for the disaster! Maybe I've been lucky. I've cooler pasteurized Grafs twice and no bombs, either while doing or after.
Speculation as to why? Both times my Grafs were lightly carbonated. I suppose if you're starting at a higher level of carbonation, that might lead to too much pressure when heated. I bottled one in a soda bottle and pasteurized when that was firm. 4 days the 1st time, 6 days the 2nd.

 

[uatuba]

I bottled two in PET beer bottles so I could monitor the levels. I THOUGHT they were fine but that could be it