Carbonating in the ferment container

Question

Apple Cider Base 6g
1 packet of Red Star Champaine yeast
SG 1.073 with a final ABV of around 8.5% - 9.0%
Fermenting in a FastFerment 7.9 Gallon

I want to end up with an off dry cider that does not have to be refridgerated after bottling. When I get to 1.01 SG I can remove any lees w/o racking it. At that point,can I let it carbonate in the ferment containter, then kill off the yeast prior to bottling? My goal is to have better control on the cider's outcome. I know it can be carbonated in a keg but I want to bottle it after it carbonates. Could'nt find the answer by googling question on the internet.

Answer 1

It's not impossible but your equipment won't work well for this process.

First point- if you want more control over the carbonation, you'll need a pressure gauge to see how carbonated the cider is (before you bottle). Otherwise the old ferment-add sugar-bottle routine will give better control over the carbonation.

Second point- that fermenter you're using doesn't seem to be pressure rated. I suspect that even if the walls are very thick, the top or the airlock gasket will leak when the pressure builds up. Or pop off, making a big mess.

Third- to kill the yeast you'll probably need to add metabisulfite, when the cider is already pressurized. That could be done with some kind of syringe & valve setup, if you feel like fabricating it.

And finally- bottling carbonated cider might be quite messy.