Saturday 20 November 2010

Neat Demonstration!

Here's why its a good thing to maintain a little fermentation with stored cider:



As C02 gas is heavier than air it stays below any air in the same container thus forming a protective layer that helps prevent spoilage.
Here the Co2 gas is 'poured' from the glass thus starving the candle of oxygen.

2 comments:

146 Cider said...

That is indeed a neat experiment. I knew that Co2 was heavier, but never seen it demonstrated like that before!

lightweightmick said...

Hmm, well, I've just tried this... full of scientific enthusiasm and endeavor... not once either... I assume that 'baking soda' is 'bicarbonate of soda' as I got the fizz, even with malt vinegar, but I think to reproduce this you need deep tumblers to trap the gas and a candle with a hollow as there's not that much gas produced. No draught either... I did get the flame to flicker a bit on the two candles I tried... story of my life. Unfortunately I've only got one one pint glass...
I know , I know.
Surely we cidermakers could trap the co2 from fermentation - tube into demijohn maybe?