Has anyone tried to use the Splenda Sugar Blend to back sweeten and bottle carb Apfelwein? The SWMBO would like it carb'd and a little sweeter. We have a box of this sitting in the cupboard.
It is a premix sugar and splenda mix package. Was thinking about using this in the recommended 4 oz ratio/5 gallon. It doesn't give the exact ratio of splenda to sugar mixture but appears to be roughly ~ 1/2 cup sugar + Splenda = sweetness of 1 cup of sugar. So maybe a little less then 1/2 cup of fermentable sugar for priming and splenda for sweetness?
Would 2/3 cup of the blend for 5 gallons be too much sugar? Not enough sweetness?
We went 4 different routes on our first batch. Splenda carbed, non-carbed, dry-carbed, and sweet-flat. So far SWMBO prefers non-carbed+sugar sweetening, then dry-carbed. To both of us, the flavor of Splenda came through in the cider, which neither of us really enjoyed.
I thought I wanted sweetened carbonated cider on my first batch too. I made 2 gallons worth and left several bottles unsweetened and carbonated, several bottles sweetened and still "flat", and a couple more sweetened and carbonated. I used lactose sugar on some and splenda on the others. When I first tasted it out of ferment, I really thought it needed sweetened. I wish I would have left all of them unsweetened and carbonated as the sweetness and flavor seemed to come back after a month in the bottles at room temp. The ones I added splenda to I do not care for that much, it does have a not-so-natural taste and now it tastes to sweet. I only added a small spoonfull to each liter bottle. I would recomend that if you sweeten a sample and it tastes right to you, back off the sweetner a bit then bottle, It may taste good then, but imagine drinking several glasses of it that sweet. Just a suggestion, do what you think tastes good to you.
If I'm not mistaken, Splenda is non-fermentable. That being the case, it won't carbonate your apfelwein. I have used Splenda for backsweetening a carbed batch, and had success. I racked the apfelwein to the bottling bucket, then added a bit of splenda and tasted. I continued adding splenda and sampling until I reached the exact level of sweetness I wanted, then added my priming sugar and bottled. Came out great!
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Originally Posted by Catt22
I would never use a dead mouse in my beer. It's much better to use live ones. You could probably just steep a dead one, but live ones must be mashed. Actually, smashed and mashed would be best.
If I'm not mistaken, Splenda is non-fermentable. That being the case, it won't carbonate your apfelwein. I have used Splenda for backsweetening a carbed batch, and had success. I racked the apfelwein to the bottling bucket, then added a bit of splenda and tasted. I continued adding splenda and sampling until I reached the exact level of sweetness I wanted, then added my priming sugar and bottled. Came out great!
The link points to a sugar splenda blend.
"Bake with Half the Sugar
SPLENDAź Sugar Blend is a mix of SPLENDAź Brand Sweetener and pure sugar and provides only 1/2 the calories and carbohydrates of pure sugar. It helps you reduce the sugar in your home baking, while keeping the great sugar taste your family loves! "
I would never use a dead mouse in my beer. It's much better to use live ones. You could probably just steep a dead one, but live ones must be mashed. Actually, smashed and mashed would be best.
It's still going to taste like Splenda. My advice is to leave it dry and drink a few pints. If you think it's too dry now, just wait, you'll learn to love it. Once you put Splenda in, you can't take it out. You can also back sweeten per pour, 1/2 teaspoon in the glass.
When sweetening by the glass, I mix up a 2 to 1 ratio of sugar water. I keep it in the fridge and add it when I want to so it's sweet enough for me but dry for hubby.
Also, you can use your hydrometer when you sweeten. If you taste a wine you like, take a reading to see what level of sweetness you prefer and then you can sweeten to that reading. Keeping in mind the temperature thing. I find it hard to backsweeten young wine and get it right because the taste of young wine throws me. It's probably just me.
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Toularat
Ageing: Apfelwein, Lodi Ranch 11, Plum, White Zin, Tomato, cider
Backsweetening Apfelwein with Splenda Sugar Blend
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