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
398: Cider in Florida? Visit Green Bench Brewing, Mead & Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:26
Saint Peterburg on Florida's West Coast Welcomes Green Bench Green Bench can boast being a microbrewery, meadery, and cidery in a region where palm trees rule! Despite that small inconvenience of no apples trees to speak…
397: Nature Evolves in the Glass | Wildcraft Cider Works, OR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:50
Fermentations Run without Fear at Wildcraft Sean Kelly founded Wildcraft Cider Works in 2014. His journey to cider making began in 2008. It follows his botanicals passion, quest for tree resources & conservation, in conc…
396: PDX Audio Clips | CiderCon 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:08
Pre-conference PDX Audio Clips This Cider Chat Live features clips from CiderCon 2024 which took place in Portland, Oregon. What was particularly unique about this year was the ice storm that took place. Pictured below i…
395: PDX Tips for CiderCon 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:32
Bookmark this episode for loads of Portland Oregon a.k.a. PDX Tips Oregon Cider Week and CiderCon 2024 are all converging in PDX and this episodes has all the tips you need arrive and hit the ground running. Portland res…
394: Cider Notes Heading Into 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:54
It's time to make your Cider Notes for 2024 The list of cider notes can be quiet long, but in this episode we are going to make it doable and easy for you. In this Cider Chat on Cider Notes The Talking Pommes encourage R…
393: How to Wassail & Drink Hail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:16
What does Wassail & Drink Hail mean? In this episode learn about meaning behind Wassail and Drink Hail from the Butler himself, Al Sax. A Wassail is a celebration of the orchards, most typically apple orchards to honor t…
392: Bent Ladder Estate Ciders & Wine | Ohio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:58
The Vodraska Brothers Chris & Matt of Bent Ladder In the midst of a rich farming legacy emerged Bent Ladder Cider and Wine, based in Doylestown Ohio. Chris and younger brother Matt Vodraska are following in their father…
391: Test Winters & Climate w/Saint Lawrence Nurseries (NY) Founder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:45
Saint Lawrence Nurseries is a specialized tree nursery in New York state, renowned for its expertise in cold-hardy fruit and nut trees with a committment to sustainable and organic practices. The nursery, which was origi…
390: Renaissance Orchards Keeved & French Style Ciders | WA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:21
Meet Chris Rylands of Renaissance Orchards First there was Cider Supply and then Chris founded Renaissance Orchards with his wife Melinda. This move was a natural progression of a series of events that include resources…