# Bottle Pasteurisation



## SuiCIDER (6/10/10)

Hey guys, I noticed that of the threads I have read in this forum, not many (if any!) know how to stop fermentation for a sweet product, opting to either backsweeten with non-fermentable sugars like lactose, using artificial sugars, or cold crashing. Now each of these methods are perfectly fine, but I don't have time to mess around with all that nonsense when I can just as easily pasteurise my bottles.

Once fermentation is at the stage where you would like to stop (with my ciders, I usually aim for somewhere around 1.010 and 1.014), add priming sugar as normal, and set your bottles aside. Now with these potential little bottle bombs you can either A. Set 3 or 4 aside that you won't mind drinking a little more flat than the rest, or B. use 1 plastic 600ml bottle. Using method A. You will need to check the carbonation level every 2 - 3 days by opening, waiting a minute or two and tasting/pouring to see if the carbonation is to your liking. Using method B. Bottle as normal, but also bottle the plastic bottle as you would normally. Keep the plastic bottle in exactly the same conditions as the glass bottles and once it becomes firm/slightly bulging, it will most oftenly be carbed sufficiently. (I don't recommend keeping the solution in the plastic for more than necessary, once carbed, gulp it down).

Now comes the easy part. Set a pot on your stove, fill with water, enough to reach the level of the solution in the bottle if you were to submerge it in the water. Find yourself some aluminium foil and fold to a decent thickness to provide a buffer between the heat and the glass surface of the bottle, but allow for heat transfer to the water around, I use two square/rectangle blocks of foil to rest them on. Heat the water in the pot to around 70 degrees. There's no point going over this temperature, but if you're sitting around 50, some yeasties might find a way to survive, and you'll get yourself a bottle bomb. 

Submerge your bottles in the water, turn off the heat, put the lid on, set a timer for 10mins, relax, have a home brew, life is good. Rinse and repeat for all bottles. I would suggest using tongs to retrieve the bottles.

Alternatively, for those of you who DON'T brew beer, i.e. either don't have a large enough pot or only use wine bottles (which may be too large for the pot) you can use your kitchen sink (make sure you plug it!!!!). Just boil a few litres of water either in the jug or on the stove, put your bottles in the sink (standing up) and pour over the bottles. Do this twice and cover with a folded towel to retain the steam (which will raise the temperature). Wait 5mins. Boil another few litres, pour over the bottles and cover once again. You will know they are ready if the bottles are almost too hot to touch. (This method sounds very touch and go, but it has never failed me either)

You will know it works in both methods if the day after there are NO bubbles floating on the top of your brew (this of course, varies with different brews)

*I HAVE NEVER HAD A BOTTLE BOMB OR EVEN SO MUCH AS A CRACKED BOTTLE.*

Sorry about the wall of text, if you got through it, thank you for reading and I hoped it helped. I will edit with some pictures to break up the text when I get the chance. *Feel free to ask any questions*, and mods if this belongs in a different section, feel free to move it for me!


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## Wolfy (6/10/10)

I wonder if the Coopers Brown PET bottles are microwave proof?
You could bottle in plastic, easily check the carbonation and with some testing microwave them to get just the right temperature/time.


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## pk.sax (6/10/10)

beer... microwaves.. shudder...

not laffin at ya mate, just shuddering at microwaving beer, last place I'd want to take my beer close to!


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## wedge (6/10/10)

practicalfool said:


> beer... microwaves.. shudder...
> 
> not laffin at ya mate, just shuddering at microwaving beer, last place I'd want to take my beer close to!



I wouldn't put liquids in the microwave. You can accidently super heat liquid above 100C which when taken out of the microwave can become lquid 'volanoes'. Google it if you are curious just be careful regardless.


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## hirns (7/10/10)

Wolfy said:


> I wonder if the Coopers Brown PET bottles are microwave proof?
> You could bottle in plastic, easily check the carbonation and with some testing microwave them to get just the right temperature/time.



Pour boiling water into them and they shrink to half their size in seconds. I know you're talking pasteurisation temps but I would think it wise not to go there.



Hirns


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## SuiCIDER (7/10/10)

Wolfy said:


> I wonder if the Coopers Brown PET bottles are microwave proof?
> You could bottle in plastic, easily check the carbonation and with some testing microwave them to get just the right temperature/time.



I wouldn't use a microwave either, especially with the amount of dissolved solids AND CO2 in solution (someone above has already meantioned liquid volcanoes). As well as this, I wouldn't use PET in a pasteurisation, the plastic won't hold up all too great, and the heat may also cause degredation to the PET molecule causing acetyl aldehyde and antimony leaking into the solution.


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## JestersDarts (7/10/10)

This is a great idea - I'd never think of this.

I'm currently experimenting with ciders, will give this a shot, the first one I did (its not bottled yet, but finished ferment) finished at 1008, and is pretty dry and tart.

is 1014 a good spot to hit for a sweeter cider?
I'm adding honey to the next one, I think this will raise the FG a few points anyway.


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## lespaul (7/10/10)

would this have any adverse affects on taste? whether it was in changing the taste of the yeast or in the beer itself?
if you did this would that mean that the bottles would be able to be left it warmer temperatures when your storing them and they wouldnt develop any off flavours?
interesting concept


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## SuiCIDER (7/10/10)

JestersDarts said:


> This is a great idea - I'd never think of this.
> 
> I'm currently experimenting with ciders, will give this a shot, the first one I did (its not bottled yet, but finished ferment) finished at 1008, and is pretty dry and tart.
> 
> ...



Yep, I would finish at 1.014, for a sweet cider, any sweeter and it might start to get a bit sickly after a while. Make sure if you add as your source of sugar (a cyser) to add some nutrient as honey isn't great at feeding the yeast.



lespaul said:


> would this have any adverse affects on taste? whether it was in changing the taste of the yeast or in the beer itself?
> if you did this would that mean that the bottles would be able to be left it warmer temperatures when your storing them and they wouldnt develop any off flavours?
> interesting concept



I've never brewed a beer in my life, so I can't speak from a beer point of view. I've been using this method since the start of the year on all my cider batches, and I haven't noticed any off-flavours. Of course I store my pasteurised bottles in a dark, cool area. Since fermentation is complete, I wouldn't think any flavours would be caused by warmer temperatures, but batches stored in the bottles for extensive periods of time may gain off flavours from the lees (sediment on the bottom of the bottle).

If you're unsure I'd suggest bottling a few bottles early to pasteurise, and then treat the rest of the batch as normal, and then compare!

Also, any feedback on how this works with beer would be extremely welcome!


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## manticle (7/10/10)

No real need to use it with full mash beer though as you have some element of control over the attenuation. Makes more sense with cider and the like - I've read about it on american forums but find mine is to my tastes on the drier side so I haven't tried it.


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## kevin_smevin (7/10/10)

manticle said:


> No real need to use it with full mash beer though as you have some element of control over the attenuation. Makes more sense with cider and the like - I've read about it on american forums but find mine is to my tastes on the drier side so I haven't tried it.



The reason you'd do it for all grain brewing is for longevity. It provides microbial stability - ie it kills all the nasties that might be there in small levels but over time can taint a beer.


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## manticle (7/10/10)

Maybe. Makes sense but for the moment I'm happy to let it run and rely on sanitation.


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## potof4x (8/10/10)

Not .far off bottling a Gluten Free Honey beer. The recipe called for honey to be added when kegging, I assumed to backsweeten. This method gives me a shot at doing it safely with bottles.

Sweet.


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## Malted (8/10/10)

I shall have to research it some more but I don't see why the "bottle" could not be a 9 litre SS keg, as long as you have a vessel large enough to hold enough water at 70 degrees (a.ka. keggle) to put the 'bottle' in. There'd obviously be more to it than that but theoretically what say you Louis?


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## Chookers (14/11/10)

Just some questions on your pasteurisation.

Do you put the glass bottles in the pan from cold, or put them in when water temp reaches 70 degrees??

also: You said Submerge bottles in water, turn off heat, put lid on, set timer 10mins. Rinse and repeat. what do you mean by rinse?? rinse hot bottles in cold water, wouldnt this break the glass??

how does this method affect carbonation.. I would have thought the heat would drive out the CO2???

What if I carbonated something that hadnt cleared yet?? would it still clear after pasteurising??

Sorry if these questions seem silly.. I am a beginner and have never done anything like this before.

Cheers


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## SuiCIDER (15/11/10)

That's okay Chookers, I'm happy to answer any questions!

I personally submerge my bottles from room temperature, and have never had a problem. I guess either way is a valid way of pasteurising, but I don't know if there would be a difference in overall pressure within the bottle if heated in increments to 70. I suggest wearing protection if you try this!

Rinse and repeat: My way of saying 'do it again and again and again until all your bottles have gone through this treatment' (sorry for any ambiguity, I should probably edit the post).

You're completely right with driving out the CO2. When you first submerge your bottles in the water you will see a large amount of bubbles rising to the surface. Because you have capped your bottles, this CO2 has no-where to go except to dissolve back into the liquid. No CO2 is lost, carbonation remains the same as the one you test.

And you will find (or rather, I find) that after pasteurisation, everything settles out MUCH more rapidly, so yes, it will clear after pasteurising 

Feel free to ask anything else!


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## Tanga (15/11/10)

Thanks! That's really helpful advice. Real apple cider is on my list of brews to try. Have you tried sodium met / camden tablets to kill off the yeast? I was planning to bottle into PET.


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## SuiCIDER (15/11/10)

I've never used campden/sodium met. only because I like to share my cider around with my friends/family and I find that a lot of people are sensitive to sulphites. It's a completely viable way of doing it and a lot easier if you're planning on kegging and force carbing.


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## Chookers (15/11/10)

Thanks suiCIDER

I am also allergic to camden tablets.. so am very grateful for an alternative.. cause I dont like my drinks too dry. <_< 

Cheers


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## Gopha (15/11/10)

Tanga said:


> Thanks! That's really helpful advice. Real apple cider is on my list of brews to try. Have you tried sodium met / camden tablets to kill off the yeast? I was planning to bottle into PET.


If you wish to put your yeast to sleep, when you have achieved a sweetness level you like, use potassium sorbate not Sodium Met which is used to control oxidation and as a preservative. Still Cider only

If you won't to carbonate you will need to force carbonate in a keg, with the added benefit of being able to additional fruit juice(s) ie pear juice (Strongbow) :icon_cheers:


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## Chookers (15/11/10)

So if I get a pot of water 60-70 degrees, and put in my carbed bottles (room temp) turn off heat and leave 10min.. Then rinse in cool water. That should work.

What is the function of the rinsing? What if I didnt rinse.. and just left it to come down on its own, would this still kill the yeasties and retain carbination.. Im just a bit cautious of the glass  . My bottles are old long necks which have been used for preserving pasta sauce, so they have been boiled many times, but they have never been taken from heat to cold water.

If the same result can be achieved without the rinsing, that would make me feel alot better about it.  

Thanks


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## SuiCIDER (15/11/10)

Chookers said:


> So if I get a pot of water 60-70 degrees, and put in my carbed bottles (room temp) turn off heat and leave 10min.. Then rinse in cool water. That should work.
> 
> What is the function of the rinsing? What if I didnt rinse.. and just left it to come down on its own, would this still kill the yeasties and retain carbination.. Im just a bit cautious of the glass  . My bottles are old long necks which have been used for preserving pasta sauce, so they have been boiled many times, but they have never been taken from heat to cold water.
> 
> ...



You're taking me too literally, my fault though! I used the slang term 'rinse and repeat' to describe the action of having to use the same method of pasteurising over and over again for a large batch of bottles. There is no rinsing to be done! Rinsing would only heighten the risk of bottle bombs/cracks due to a massive change in temperature. Just let them sit in the sink or on a table top that isn't affected by heat until room temperature.


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## Chookers (15/11/10)

SuiCIDER said:


> You're taking me too literally, my fault though! I used the slang term 'rinse and repeat' to describe the action of having to use the same method of pasteurising over and over again for a large batch of bottles. There is no rinsing to be done! Rinsing would only heighten the risk of bottle bombs/cracks due to a massive change in temperature. Just let them sit in the sink or on a table top that isn't affected by heat until room temperature.




Oooh.. :lol: sorry.. Im so dull  , I do tend to take things too literally.. 
Yeh I was thinking that about cracks due to temp change.. and I know you said in your other answers to my question, but it still went over my head.

Excellent.. I understand now.

Thanks for being so patient, and I will be using this method.  
Cheers


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## O'Henry (15/11/10)

Chookers: Are you wanting to pasteurise beer? If so you need to be careful of holding them too hot for a long time as this can cause flavour instability and hasten staling reactions. Not sure about cider though... I imagine that the oxidation reaction in cider would be sped up just as it is in beer. 

I would recommend cooling them as quickly as possible. I'd have a second pot with 40-45 degree water and put the bottles in there to warm up before hand and then cool down after, with a final cool down in the sink with 'cold' (room temp) water.


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## bum (15/11/10)

Everyone always says heating juice to sanitise prior to fermentation is a bad idea due to something that the heat does to the pectins - is this less of an issue post-fermentation?


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## SuiCIDER (15/11/10)

O said:


> I've never done this for beer, so I can't speak on it's behalf, but I've also never experienced 'off flavours' from this method. This is because I bottle as the must is still fermenting, so I have a permanent CO2 'blanket' over the bottles the whole time (small chance of oxidation).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Chookers (15/11/10)

O said:


> no, it would be Mead and Braggot.. possibly even the Pyment experiment.. All the brews I got going at the moment are experimental all from kits and concentrates. I plan on carbonating half of each brew.. but I dont like things too dry, so I was looking for a way to stop fermentation without using additives as I am allergic. I plan on making apple beer next, I would like to use homemade apple juice but I will probably use a cider concentrate first. Thats an excellent idea with the second pot, I may do that aswell, even though Im not doing beer. :icon_cheers:
> 
> My brews always end up too dry.. out of all my experiments I have had one mead success (this of course was before I got in the habit of writing everything down) but have'nt been able to recreate it. The rest turned out yuk!


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