My cider got carbonated in the carboy?

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fofusak

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Hello,

My last two batches of cider were completely carbonated in the carboy. To the point that it was very hard to siphon it out because it would create a champagne-like bubble burst. I'm very puzzled because of this, what am I doing wrong?

So I did what I thought was the most sensible thing. I got a new carboy and airlock, thinking maybe something was wrong with my equipment.

I washed the yeast of a previous batch (first time re-using yeast), and I pitched it into the new carboy. I saw no bubbling in the airlock for three days, and no activity in the carboy. I thought somehow I killed the yeast during the wash process. Fearing my apple cider would be infected after 3 days, I decided to dump it. I smelled the cider, it definitely smelled very sweet still, and I started dumping it in the sink. But it started bubbling when it hit the sink, like if I was dumping a freshly opened soda!!! How can this be possible, if I saw no activity at all, either in the airlock or in the carboy? I triple checked, and my airlock was not clogged, I even tried with a blow off tube, but nothing.

What is going on? I'm terribly puzzled, does anyone have a clue as to what's happening?

Thank you!
 
The yeast makes CO2, and the CO2 builds up until it reaches saturation before it starts bubbling. When you disturb it, the CO2 in solution can fizz out like shaking a can of soda.

All this is normal. And it can be annoying when it fizzes up in your siphon hose. At least you have 2 carboys now. ;)
 
Correct -- this is very normal. Cider is like wine that way, and many wine makers will 'degass' at different points in the process, such as before bottling, etc.

If you let it sit in the carboy for a while with an airlock on it, it will degass (aka go flat) on it's own. Or you can get a degassing wand and do it quicker with that. However you degas, you want to be careful not to introduce too much oxygen into it, causing oxidation.

Scottie
 
Very interesting, thanks a lot for the answer, I didn't know it would get saturared before bubbling. This tells me that I had a very weak yeast and it was fermenting, but so slowly that after 3 days I could not see activity.

However, for the ones that I saw activity and were carbonated: maybe I didn't put it right. When I say it was carbonated, it was completely carbonated, probably as carbonated as after bottling! My first batches a bit carbonated, but veery slightly, compared to this champagne-like behavior.

When this happens, I shake a bit with a spoon while dissolving my priming sugar to get the CO2 out, fearing a bottle bomb. I wonder if you do something similar, or I'm just being overly paranoid.

Thanks!
 
Hi fofusak - and welcome.
Half the weight of the sugar is transformed into CO2. If you are sealing your carboy and inhibiting the release of this gas then that gas has to remain suspended in solution... If you then provide the solution with nucleation points or you reduce the pressure on the gas then that gas will look for ways to drop out of suspension... and rush out like champagne.. Depending on how long you allow the cider to age you are either bottling with much of the CO2 still in suspension. Many winemakers who want to bottle early (say within 2 or 3 months) mechanically degas either by vigorous stirring or else by pulling a vacuum through their wine or cider to remove the Co2.
 
Lately I have taken to degassing during fermentation and doing nutrient additions, as it supposedly helps the fermentation process, and I've come near to having it foam over!

I have never bottled anything except 'still' cider, as I understand that unlike beer they can tend to be unpredictable when bottling with priming sugar. I don't like using sorbate or sulfate, since I have someone in the family sensitive to it.

There is a whole thread on bottle pasteurizing, and I did that once -- kinda scarey. I typically like it still though, so I have taken to just putting the cider in the fridge in my old Mr. Beer keg (non-pressurized) and drinking it like a firkin. However, since I just started kegging my beer, for my last batch I tried carbing my cider in a keg, and it worked great! A very handy way to go.

Scottie
 

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