Cider bottling

[joemarshalljm]

Do I have to use glass bottles? What would happen if I stored my finished cider in cleaned and disinfected milk jugs?

 

[RobWalker]

uuh, they need to be airtight or your cider will oxidize...imagine drinking a bottle from the supermarket that's been open for 4 weeks.

some people use 2L pop bottles though. they can handle a lot of pressure!

 

[graysalchemy]

You need bottles which will hold the pressure. As above 2l PET's are fine but it does mean that you will have to drink 2l at a time. Glass beer or cider bottles are best, don't use wine bottles if you are planning on having fizzy cider as they will explode and that is not funny. :nono: :nono:

 

[alphacento]

The best/cheapest way to get bottles is to buy and drink beers that is sold in flip top bottles. I have bought and enjoyed a couple of cases and was left with plenty of bottles for my cider.

In Germany they are quite common. Not sure about the UK.

 

[Crastney]

milk bottles are perfectly ok IF AND ONLY IF ALL THE SUGAR IS GONE, OR ALL THE YEAST IS DEAD!!

If you've racked off enough times, and fermentation has stopped due to lack of any available sugar at all, and you've added camden tablets, and potasium sorbate, (or pasteurised) then the cider will be inert, and will be fine in milk bottles. They have the advantage of being squishable, so as you drink a glass, you can exclude most of the air, and close the lid.

If there is any chance at all of there being any sugar left, or any yeast still alive - DO NOT USE PLASTIC MILK BOTTLES.

 

[Mark1964]

2 liter old coke/pop bottles are fine just takes a bit longer to carbonate because of the volume but they are fine plus you can overprime the plastic ones as they are super strong