I sweetened a sparkling apple cider last month using Splenda for the first time, and I've had no complaints. As long as you don't tell anyone you've used an artificial sweetener, I don't think you'll have any complaints either. I certainly don't have any complaints. I used a light tablespoon per 12 oz bottle, and that added just the right amount of sweetness. Not ridiculous, but countered the bitter of the apple pretty well. It's not mead, but I hope that helps. In summation, the secret of using Splenda is not telling anyone you did it.
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Sparkling and avoiding bottle bombs
- Thread starter spasticcp
- Start date
- Status
Bottle Bombs..........
It can be surprising how quickly these can develop.......
About 2 1/2 months ago, I was making a quick batch of "ginger beer". A recipe off the net that I'd used before.
I had enough ginger to make 10 litres, so the recipe was scaled up and mixed.
Now the instructions said about putting the mix into PET type pop/soda bottles, then leaving somewhere warm until the side of the bottle can't be depressed with the finger. At that point it goes into the fridge.
Unfortunately, because I'd made 10 litres, and so I didn't get nagged by "erindoors" about leaving bottles everywhere, I put them on top of the kitchen cabinets (sunday evening), and forgot about them. On the following wednesday morning I notice them and that the 2 x 2litre bottles were starting to deform in shape.
I took them down and put them on the floor in the outhouse while I was making room in the fridge, as I reached one of the 2 litre bottles, one of the 3 litre bottles fell over. It exploded, showering everything (including the 2 cats who were tucking into their breakfast biscuits) with ginger beer.
Luckily, and mainly because the bottles were plastic, I only suffered superficial cuts to the hand and shin, but it was a salutory lesson, only to make enough ginger beer to fit in the fridge in 1 go and to make sure that any efforts to make sparkling wines/meads will be in champagne bottles with plastic stoppers held on by wire cages and not there won't be any "warming" time, they'll go straight to the cool storage under the stairs to carbonate slowly - using the "priming" method.
Oh, and I agree with wayne about the artificial sweeteners, most of them taste "baarrrrffffff"! So I'd suggest either Lactose or sulphite/sorbate followed by back sweetener of honey or sugar.
It can be surprising how quickly these can develop.......
About 2 1/2 months ago, I was making a quick batch of "ginger beer". A recipe off the net that I'd used before.
I had enough ginger to make 10 litres, so the recipe was scaled up and mixed.
Now the instructions said about putting the mix into PET type pop/soda bottles, then leaving somewhere warm until the side of the bottle can't be depressed with the finger. At that point it goes into the fridge.
Unfortunately, because I'd made 10 litres, and so I didn't get nagged by "erindoors" about leaving bottles everywhere, I put them on top of the kitchen cabinets (sunday evening), and forgot about them. On the following wednesday morning I notice them and that the 2 x 2litre bottles were starting to deform in shape.
I took them down and put them on the floor in the outhouse while I was making room in the fridge, as I reached one of the 2 litre bottles, one of the 3 litre bottles fell over. It exploded, showering everything (including the 2 cats who were tucking into their breakfast biscuits) with ginger beer.
Luckily, and mainly because the bottles were plastic, I only suffered superficial cuts to the hand and shin, but it was a salutory lesson, only to make enough ginger beer to fit in the fridge in 1 go and to make sure that any efforts to make sparkling wines/meads will be in champagne bottles with plastic stoppers held on by wire cages and not there won't be any "warming" time, they'll go straight to the cool storage under the stairs to carbonate slowly - using the "priming" method.
Oh, and I agree with wayne about the artificial sweeteners, most of them taste "baarrrrffffff"! So I'd suggest either Lactose or sulphite/sorbate followed by back sweetener of honey or sugar.
My friend and I just bottled one of his semi-sweets with honey as priming sugar!
I warned him about bottle bombs, but we decided to go with Belgians and corks with wires for extra protection. Final gravity was 1.010, so I'm not sure if that's enough with the extra priming sugar (1/2 cup for 5 gals = ~2 atmospheres, plus any of the residual) to bust a Belgian, but we'll see. (yeast is Wyeast 4134 I think)
They're tucked away in the back of a closet right now... I'll let you know if I hear a loud gunshot sound in the next week or so. I think I'm going to get some safety goggles and heavy gloves, though! The first one to be opened will be opened right in the box just in case sideways shrapnel is involved.
If you do it, at least leave some extra head space in the bottle above and beyond normal...
I warned him about bottle bombs, but we decided to go with Belgians and corks with wires for extra protection. Final gravity was 1.010, so I'm not sure if that's enough with the extra priming sugar (1/2 cup for 5 gals = ~2 atmospheres, plus any of the residual) to bust a Belgian, but we'll see. (yeast is Wyeast 4134 I think)
They're tucked away in the back of a closet right now... I'll let you know if I hear a loud gunshot sound in the next week or so. I think I'm going to get some safety goggles and heavy gloves, though! The first one to be opened will be opened right in the box just in case sideways shrapnel is involved.
If you do it, at least leave some extra head space in the bottle above and beyond normal...
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Dude, the bomb issue isn't with the corks, it's with the glass! In fact, you'd be probably better off with a cork that would pop out under the pressure and just make a mess, rather than create a grenade. What kind of bottles did you use? From what I understand 1.010 is more than enough to blow up even a strong champagne bottle! I'm no expert, but I'd say get those bottles opened up FAST, and wear at the very least some kind of serious eye protection.
(is that 1.010 before or after you added even more fermentables? Adding "priming" to a batch that is already sweet isn't necessary, priming only works on dry meads, because the yeast have already consumed all the sugar and are waiting for more)
Edit: okay, I see you knew about the glass bomb issue... man I'd be pretty concerned if I were you!
(is that 1.010 before or after you added even more fermentables? Adding "priming" to a batch that is already sweet isn't necessary, priming only works on dry meads, because the yeast have already consumed all the sugar and are waiting for more)
Edit: okay, I see you knew about the glass bomb issue... man I'd be pretty concerned if I were you!
Man, haha, so you think I should be worried, huh? I warned my buddy about it, but he wanted to do it.
Like I said, it's an experiment. I realize the glass will bust first (my idea was that the Belgians might be stronger bottles... in other words we're going all or nothing here!), and maybe you're right... maybe we should have used a smaller plastic cork with no wires... but then I'd be afraid the corks would push out under normal pressures.
Yeah, it was 1.010 before adding 1/2 cup honey per 5 gallons!
To tell the truth, I'm not even sure it will keep fermenting because I think the yeast reached their alcohol tolerance already. But my friend had some theory that fresh sugar would jump start the yeast. Don't know where he got that, but now the experiment is in my closet! I'm not going in there without taking precautions though! I think I'll set a board over the box while I'm in there just in case... I know bottle bombs won't bust through heavy cardboard boxes.
It's only the second day, so we could recork... or at least take the wires off. Think regular 1 3/4 corks will pop out before the glass breaks?
We've had bottles bust before... last IPA he made a good 1/3 were bottle bombs in MY closet! I thought I was experiencing a drive by or something. But they seemed to level out after a while.
Anyone know what the upper atmosphere limit is on a Belgian?
Like I said, it's an experiment. I realize the glass will bust first (my idea was that the Belgians might be stronger bottles... in other words we're going all or nothing here!), and maybe you're right... maybe we should have used a smaller plastic cork with no wires... but then I'd be afraid the corks would push out under normal pressures.
Yeah, it was 1.010 before adding 1/2 cup honey per 5 gallons!
To tell the truth, I'm not even sure it will keep fermenting because I think the yeast reached their alcohol tolerance already. But my friend had some theory that fresh sugar would jump start the yeast. Don't know where he got that, but now the experiment is in my closet! I'm not going in there without taking precautions though! I think I'll set a board over the box while I'm in there just in case... I know bottle bombs won't bust through heavy cardboard boxes.
It's only the second day, so we could recork... or at least take the wires off. Think regular 1 3/4 corks will pop out before the glass breaks?
We've had bottles bust before... last IPA he made a good 1/3 were bottle bombs in MY closet! I thought I was experiencing a drive by or something. But they seemed to level out after a while.
Anyone know what the upper atmosphere limit is on a Belgian?
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To be honest I know fairly little about bottle bombs, other than that I'm afraid of them. When I carbonated my frist batch of cider I used half the sugar recommended on the forum somewhere, and then I stored them inside an autoclave (1/4 or more thick steel, very strong).
No bombs yet!
No bombs yet!
hehe, yeah. I really don't think bottle bombs are THAT powerful. I've had sturdy long-necks bust completely inside the cardboard box (as in completely shatter into 50 pieces) and neither the cardboard nor any surrounding bottles were damaged except for getting wet.
Cardboard boxes taped shut are enough to keep you safe... I think people just put them in plastic or other containers for clean-up purposes. You can even handle suspected bottle bombs out in the open as long as you do it right... although it's not advisable of course.
Now a Champagne bottle, we'll see! I'll have to think of a full-proof method for protection if we decide to go through with this.
In the future I'm just going to tell him to shell out the $200 for kegging equipment and a counter pressure filler.
Cardboard boxes taped shut are enough to keep you safe... I think people just put them in plastic or other containers for clean-up purposes. You can even handle suspected bottle bombs out in the open as long as you do it right... although it's not advisable of course.
Now a Champagne bottle, we'll see! I'll have to think of a full-proof method for protection if we decide to go through with this.
In the future I'm just going to tell him to shell out the $200 for kegging equipment and a counter pressure filler.
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Setting out to make bottle bombs is a really bad idea. Even Champagne bottles are only meant to hold about 6 atmospheres, and the yeast can easily generate more than 8 atm. The heavier the bottle, the more the pressure, and the greater velocity of the glass shrapnel. If one explodes at the right moment, you can wind up carrying a white cane and sniffing a dog's ass for the rest of your life.
I'd seriously suggest you reconsider your plan, and I do hope you suffer no harm.
Medsen
I'd seriously suggest you reconsider your plan, and I do hope you suffer no harm.
Medsen
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Dude, you are mistaken. Even longneck beer bottles that are over-pressurized to the point of fracture can create glass shrapnel with enough energy behind it to go clean through a standard sheet of drywall.
Don't believe me, and want to keep up this insane experiment? Well, I'll watch for your name to come up in the next Darwin awards listing. I'm dead serious - you could be plain dead from games like this.
Howdy jonalexdeval,
Just a note of administrative caution here. Bottle bombs can and will cause serious injury. I've seen this first-hand.
We don't approve of or promote purposeful experimentation on anything we know to put our members at risk. I'm closing this thread and advising that you move on to another subject.
Your cooperation is appreciated,
Oskaar
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