Subject - Cider blew its top!
QUESTION - I have an unusual question for you. A man called for his friend. Seems his friend tried to make some hard cider and blew the lid off of his barrel! Anyway, the guy wants to stop the fermentation process before he gets to the explosion part. This man went to buy boric acid from a pharmacist and thus, the pharmacist has called me. Got any suggestions?
ANSWER - It sounds like he has not given the cider a sufficient time to completely ferment before sealing. He should measure the sugar content with a hydrometer and periodically take measurements as it ferments until the readings level off to a minimum value. Or he can attach a tube to a fermentation vessel allowing the escaping gas to bubble through a water trap. When the bubbles stop, the cider is done. At this time, the sugar has been fermented to alcohol and very little additional CO2 will be generated.
