Not alcoholic, but a question about elderflower cordial

katydid

I've made several bottles of elderflower cordial this year, and for the first batch I didn't use citric acid. I find I have to slightly open the bottles every day (more in the first batch than the second) to release some pressure. I'm a bit paranoid about it, because last autumn three bottles explode and made an awful mess.

The citric acid seems to have helped, but does anyone have any tips, advice, or experience of this problem?

Son0vagun

If they are carbonated it is due to fermination, therefore they are alcholic.

katydid

Son0vagun wrote: »

If they are carbonated it is due to fermination, therefore they are alcholic.

True enough. The irony being that last year, my attempts at (alcoholic) elderflower champagne failed, yet the bloody cordial went and fermented!

BeerNut

It's really best to let anything ferment out completely before bottling it.

With these, you could just leave the cap loose if you don't want the end result to be fizzy.

katydid

BeerNut wrote: »

It's really best to let anything ferment out completely before bottling it.

With these, you could just leave the cap loose if you don't want the end result to be fizzy.

But it's not supposed to ferment! It didn't other years I made it, last year was the first time it popped.

If I leave the cap loose, foreign bodies might get in...

I think the citric acid might have helped, the ones without it are fizzier.

BaZmO*

katydid wrote: »

But it's not supposed to ferment! It didn't other years I made it, last year was the first time it popped.

If I leave the cap loose, foreign bodies might get in...

I think the citric acid might have helped, the ones without it are fizzier.

You could put a bubbler into each bottles or use a tube going into a glass of water to prevent that.

katydid

BaZmO* wrote: »

You could put a bubbler into each bottles or use a tube going into a glass of water to prevent that.

Good idea. I'd have to use demijohns, though, which might be a bit cumbersome.. I bottled them because I want to give them as gifts, or just use it day by day.

I am keeping a few bottles in the fridge; I don't have enough space to keep all of them, but I'm storing them in a cool room. And I go along every few days and half open the lids. The flip tops are the scariest!

BaZmO*

katydid wrote: »

Good idea. I'd have to use demijohns, though, which might be a bit cumbersome.. I bottled them because I want to give them as gifts, or just use it day by day.

I am keeping a few bottles in the fridge; I don't have enough space to keep all of them, but I'm storing them in a cool room. And I go along every few days and half open the lids. The flip tops are the scariest!

You could leave them in the bottles but you would need lots of tubes/bubblers or you could empty them all into one container and just use the one tube and then once fermented you could put them back into individual bottles.

It'd be a bit of work but I suppose it's better than bottle bombs!

BeerNut

katydid wrote: »

But it's not supposed to ferment! It didn't other years I made it, last year was the first time it popped.

Oh right. Best bet then would be to pasteurise it before bottling: heating to 50 or 60 C should kill off anything living in it.

katydid wrote: »

If I leave the cap loose, foreign bodies might get in...

I guess it depends on the sort of cap, but most can be tightened to an extent that will let gas out but not leave enough of a gap for anything to get in.

katydid

BeerNut wrote: »

Oh right. Best bet then would be to pasteurise it before bottling: heating to 50 or 60 C should kill off anything living in it.

I guess it depends on the sort of cap, but most can be tightened to an extent that will let gas out but not leave enough of a gap for anything to get in.

That's a good idea about heating it. Thanks.