270: Cidermaker Tips to Avoid Bottle Bombs | Ask Ryan 2021

270: Cidermaker Tips to Avoid Bottle Bombs | Ask Ryan 2021

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist April 28, 2021 Duration: 36:20

Bottle Safely to Avoid Bottle Bombs

If like me you grew up in a house where your parents made homemade everything, chances are they also dabbled in making homemade soda, wine, beer, and cider. Mine sure did and I still recall hearing the popping of root beer bottles in the root cellar. Thankfully, we did have a separate room where the exploding glass bottles only left a mess and didn't hurt anyone else around. Bottle Bombs are dangerous and are caused by fermenting sugar over carbonating a bottle that can't withstand the pressure.

Measure Sugar Content before Bottling

In this episode with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario Canada we explore the process of bottling with the goal of bottle conditioning with the final product being one that has a bit of sparkle (read: bubbles).

Ryan Monkman - FieldBird Cider in cellar Ryan Monkman - FieldBird Cider in Kent-He wine cellar

Usually I bottle when the cider has not fully fermented. There is just enough yeast cells in solution that they will continue to munch away on the sugar and produce bubbles creating a sparkling cider that is both pleasing to the palate and as Ryan says,"Bubbles make aromatics pop!"

The hook is that the cider has been aging in the carboy for well over 2 years. The yeast look spent, meaning they are dead yeast cells and any that are still holding on to life won't have enough vitality to multi enough even if priming sugar is added to the cider with the hope of getting a bit of sparkle in the bottle.

Autolysis:  is the destruction (or lysis) of a cell by its own enzymes. This process usually takes place after about 9 months.

What to bottle in to avoid Bottle Bombs

  • Quality glass 
    • Champagne bottles are built for pressure
  • Crown caps are better than flip tops
    • Caps will have tendency to pop off, whereas flip tops can't and thus the glass is under extreme pressure

How to measure residual sugar

Ryans recommendations

Hydrometer is best for determining alcohol, but can't give you a complete measurment on residual sugar

Once you have determine the amount of residual sugar, you can then determine how much sugar and yeast to use for bottling. In the next Episode 271: Sugar, Yeast and Bubbly Bottles, Ryan and I will discuss the next step of how much sugar and what kind of yeast to use.

Contact for Ryan Monkman at FieldBird Cider

Mentions in this Chat

Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
498: Heeman's Cellar | Somewhere Cider from Ontario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:05
In this episode of Cider Chat, we visit Heeman Cellars in Ontario, where a multi-generational strawberry farm expanded into cider and mead production focused on heritage apples, terroir, and experimentation. We taste ble…
496: Liberty Ciderworks | Spokane, WA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:28
Liberty Ciderworks in Spokane, Washington is an urban cidery focused on traditional methods. While located in the city, their cider reflects deep agricultural roots. Cider maker and founder Rick Hastings ferments with wi…
495: Cider Barrels Speak | Bâtonnage & Barrel Aging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:24
In this archive episode of Cider Chat, we go in a barrel cellar in Prince Edward County, Ontario, with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider and Lee Baker of Keint-He Winery. Listening to Fermentation What Is Bâtonnage in Cide…
494: Humboldt Cider and the Historic Orchard of Albert Etter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:53
In this episode of Cider Chat, we hear from Tom Hart of Humboldt Cider Company, located in Eureka, California along the rugged Pacific coastline behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain. We also discusses preserving t…
493: Cider as a Sport | Sidra in Asturias (Archive Edition) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:28
What is Asturian cider? Asturian cider (sidra natural) is a traditionally fermented apple cider from Asturias, Spain, served through a high pour (escanciado) and shared socially in small servings called culines. This epi…
492: Absolem Cider Company | Maine Cider Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:23
This episode of Cider Chat explores the growing Maine cider scene through Absolem Cider Company in Winthrop, a farm-based cidery helping shape New England's evolving cider identity. Located on a 60-acre farm in Winthrop,…
491: Revisiting Randall Grahm | Cider Exploration Without Hesitation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:35
An early conversation that explored possibilities cider was only beginning to consider. As Cider Chat moves toward its 500th episode, we revisit conversations from the earliest seasons, taking a long view of the moments…
490: Let Cider Lead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:32
An editorial on leadership, scarcity, and why cider no longer needs to borrow authority from beer or wine. In Let Cider Lead, host Ria Windcaller steps back from interviews to offer a clear-eyed reflection on the state o…
489: Natural Cider Production Seminar | CiderCon 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:53
Natural cider is often misunderstood as funky, volatile, or flawed. Recorded live at CiderCon 2025, this seminar reframes natural cider as a philosophy of low intervention, balance, and intentional care, not a free pass…