Forced Carbonation?'s

[sly22guy]

Has anyone ever done a forced carbonation? I have a 5 gal batch of apfelwein that i made at a 8% abv that i want to sweeten and then put on my keg. I have a soda keg and hook ups. My question is should i sorbate if im sweetening and it will be on CO2 or is that not neccesary? Im making this batch my Apple Ale. This will not be aged any further, and will be refrigerated. Has anyone else done anything like this?

 

[robie]

I think you will always want to sorbate a wine that is gong to be sweetened.
Runningwolf has done some things with adding CO2. Maybe he will stop by.

 

[Tom]

Make as normal and clear. When ready to bottle keg it. Get it real cold and put 30psi in when cold. You want more carbonation than beer.
Now this is what I do when I want one of my fruit wines carbonated.
BTW I add 2 bottles in a 2 ltr soda bottle and use a carbonator screw top and attach the CO2.
I dont want a whole keg of wine.

 

[sly22guy]

Ok thanks Tom it is cleared and finished I'm probly just going to backsweeten a touch and make it real cold I was told to carbonate to 50psi. I assume that since it will be kept a refrigerated that it will not start to ferment again. Is this correct? Yeah mine is a five gallon batch which I'm sure we will go through before preseason is over!

 

[djrockinsteve]

I have been wanting to do this for some time but didn't get around to ask.

If I choose to put it into champagne bottles is the pressure the same.

 

[Wade E]

Yes use sorbate!!!!! If you dont you will over carbonate your wine as it will ferment more plus the force carb. or you can add the sugar and not use gas and let it carbonate itself in the keg which will give you better bubbles then force carbing but takes much longer.

 

[Runningwolf]

I did this on my last batch of Cranberry/Melbec and have a Island Mist Blackberry waiting to go in next. My procedure:
Added the wine to a cold keg. Added 40psi and blead it off 5 times after shaking it. Each day for 5-7 days I would shake the keg. After 7 days it was pretty carbonated and ready to go. I reduced the pressure down to about 8psi from then on. Ideal way to serve this, is just like beer. Pour an ample amount in a pitcher and have yourself a party!

 

[mmadmikes1]

Just did it to an strawberry mead. I didn't use sorbate or K-Meta because to yeast is already maxed out on ABV. Sweet to taste and added some fresh strawberry juice f pac for flavor

 

[sly22guy]

yeah my abv is not maxed so i guess i will add some sorbate just to be safe.

 

[Julie]

I did a skeeter pee over Memorial weekend that was a huge hit. Like Tom says, make the wine as if you are going to bottle but just put it in a keg instead. We chilled ours for 24 hours, added the co2, 30psi, started drinking it the day after that.

 

[mrzazz]

I'm going to try and sweeten and carb half a batch. Has anyone used splenda to do this? I want it a little off dry and carbed. I'm thinking splenda, then corn sugar prime and bottle, cap, age a bit??? suggestions???

 

[JohnT]

do not use sorbate.

Sorbate will kill any natural yeasts that will carbonate your wine.

Simply sweeten as you transfer into your soda canister. Once the pressure reaches a certian point (35 to 60 psi, depending on the yeast used) the buildup of CO2 will effectivly kill your yeast and any residual microbes.

Chill the whole thing down to around 35f and then decant about a pitcher from the canister. Since the canister pulls from the very bottom, you are (in effect) racking the wine.

I have done this with several wines as well as my own (home-made) soda and it works extremely well.

 

[tiya]

I think you will always want to sorbate a wine that is gong to be sweetened. I assume that since it will be kept a refrigerated that it will not start to ferment again. Is this correct? Yeah mine is a five gallon batch which I'm sure we will go through before preseason is over!

 

[djrockinsteve]

Keeping a wine in the refrigerator will not prevent it from refermenting, just keep it at a slower pace. Always add sorbate if sweetening unless you filter out the yeast, have a ABV high enough to prevent the yeast from fermenting or flat out allow it to age so long that they die of attrition.