HELP! (again!) Too much priming sugar?!

[Babs]

Hi there, I appeal to all you Cider making experts out there!

Yesterday I bottled my 24 litre brew of Wilko Cider (from the Wilko's Apple Cider Kit).

This kit is a first for me as I have only ever done TC using a recipe I got from here. Success every time!

However, I racked, primed and bottled on auto-pilot yesterday and only realised this morning that Wilko recommend adding no more than 85g sugar to prime a 24 litre brew.

I used 350g ! That's more than quadruple!

What is going to happen? What should I do? Shall I dump it? Drink it? Drive it to a remote layby and abandon it?

It's currently sitting in a cardboard box in my garden. I await your advice, but be aware the bomb is ticking!

Thanks a lot.


Babs.

 

[Honk]

Loosen the tops then bring into the warm, to ferment out that sugar. Maybe after a week or more it will be safe to tighten the tops back on and let carbonate.
I'd change the cardboard box for a plastic one in case they overflow.

Alternatively you could look into pasteurising the bottles to kill off the yeast if you want a sweet still cider. Could be risky though.

 

[BrewHouse]

What bottles did you use Babs? PET, Glass, Swing Top or Crown?

 

[MmmBeer]

Never done cider, but normal advice for beer is keep warm for 2 weeks to carbonate, then keep cool for 2 weeks to condition. For your cider, I would suggest limiting time in warm place for 2-3 days, then keep cool to prevent further fermentation / carbonation. This will leave some sweetness, but that can be acceptable in cider. Also have a big jug handy when you open the first few, pour into jug to allow gas to escape before transferring to glass.

 

[Babs]

What bottles did you use Babs? PET, Glass, Swing Top or Crown?

Hi Brewhouse. I used PET bottles.

 

[Honk]

That's good, safer than glass

 

[foxbat]

PET should be easy to manage. Just keep warm and check daily over 2 weeks and when they feel rock hard just vent a little gas by loosening the screw top.

 

[BrewHouse]

Hi Babs, ditto foxbat. You should be fine.

 

[Jacalou]

Excuse my ignorance everyone, what's a PET bottle?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Plastic.

PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate a form of polyester (just like the clothing fabric) it is extruded or moulded into plastic bottles and containers for packaging foods, beverages and many other consumer products.

 

[Ghillie]

Excuse my ignorance everyone, what's a PET bottle?

An inanimate companion; similar to a cat or dog; which doesn't require as much attention, focus or financial input.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

An inanimate companion; similar to a cat or dog; which doesn't require as much attention, focus or financial input

and you don't have to pick up after it.

 

[Ghillie]

and you don't have to pick up after it.

Well that's all dependent on the amount of priming sugar you fed it...

 

[Clint]

PET...as said...unless you have a psychopath Jack Russell terrier....

 

[Clint]

Early Christmas kisses off Pippy!