Glossary · Fermentation
Priming
Definition
Adding a measured quantity of fermentable sugar at bottling or kegging so that a residual yeast population produces carbon dioxide in the sealed container.
- Subject
- Fermentation
In more detail
The dose determines the pressure, and the arithmetic matters: roughly four grams of sugar per litre yields about one volume of carbon dioxide. Over-priming, or priming a cider that still holds unfermented sugar, produces bottles that gush or burst. Bottles intended for conditioning are chosen for the pressure they must hold.
Where this is covered properly
The glossary defines; these pages explain. Each is described in its own words.
Production
Priming
Adding a measured, calculable quantity of fermentable sugar at bottling so that the fermentation which follows generates a predictable volume of carbon dioxide.
Fault
Bottle over-carbonation
More dissolved carbon dioxide in the bottle than intended or than the glass is rated for — a presentation problem at the mild end and a physical hazard at the severe one.
Related terms
Terms that belong to the same part of the subject, or that this one is routinely confused with.
Fermentation
Bottle conditioning
Carbonating cider by fermentation inside the sealed bottle, either from primed sugar or from sugar left over from an incomplete ferment. The yeast deposit remains unless the bottle is disgorged.
Faults
Gushing
The violent foaming of a cider on opening, so that a substantial part of the contents is lost. It follows over-carbonation, refermentation in pack, or nucleating material in suspension.
Fermentation
Secondary fermentation
Any fermentation after the primary: the slow finishing of residual sugar, a deliberate refermentation in bottle or tank for carbonation, or a malolactic conversion by bacteria.
Equipment
Crown cap
The pressed metal closure crimped over a bottle lip, lined with a compressible seal. It holds pressure reliably and is the standard closure for bottle-conditioned cider.
Fermentation
Dosage
The measured liquid — cider, juice, or a sugar solution — added after disgorging to replace what was expelled and to set the final sweetness of a sparkling cider.
Where to go next
- Cider glossary — The whole vocabulary, by subject and A–Z.
- Comparisons — Terms that are only really clear when set against the thing they are not.
- Search — Finds terms by their aliases and by their spellings in other languages.
Sources
What this page rests on. Where a source is marked as registered rather than read, CiderHQ is recording that the body is authoritative on the subject without claiming to have worked through the document itself. See our evidence policy for what each state means.
The New Cider Maker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers
Claude Jolicoeur, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781603584739 · reference work · bibliographic record verified, not opened 2026-08-25
Bibliographic record verified on 2026-08-25 against the Open Library union catalogue: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013, ISBN 9781603584739, one edition recorded. That establishes the citation points at a real book in a stated edition, which is what a citation needs and is all it establishes. No copy was opened and nothing is quoted from it. The book itself is in print and not digitised in any open collection; where CiderHQ needs a figure from this territory it uses an accessible research source instead and says so.
Cider and perry production technical training material
Peter Mitchell / Cider and Perry Academy · reference work · registered as competent for this subject
Searched again on 2026-08-25 and it remains the one printed source here that a bibliographic check cannot fix, because it is not a published work with an edition. It is course material issued to participants of a training programme, so there is no catalogue record to verify, no ISBN, and no lawful public copy. Its state stays `registered` for that reason rather than through inattention.