Blending Fermented Cider with Fresh Cider

Scut_Monkey · 11-04-2009, 06:13 AM

I started fermenting two UV pasteurized batches on Saturday and I'm trying to achieve a relatively sweet cider at ~1.008-1.010. Each batch is four gallons fermenting in 5 gallon cornys leaving a 1 gallon void for krausen.

My original plan was to chill the kegs to stop the fermentation when they reached my desired SG. However, I started thinking that I could possibly let them ferment out and then blend them with fresh UV pasteurized cider to achieve the SG I desire. They would remain in the keg and at approximately 40 degrees F so fermentation would not kick off.

Questions:
1. Do you think I would get a better flavor by stopping the fermentation at my desired SG or by letting them ferment out and then blending with fresh cider?

2. What temp would I need to take the cider down to to stop fermentation?

3. How soon would these ciders be ready to enjoy depending on which method I use?

Tusch · 11-04-2009, 06:38 AM

I wouldn't want to use juice to backsweeten. Your cutting cider with juice (cider = hard) so by backsweetening you are also cutting the alcohol content. If you use juice concentrate, sugar, honey, etc this loss in alcohol content is negligible since you don't have to use much to reach your goal FG. But using juice would increase the volume a decent amount lowering alcohol.

But that would make the answer to 3 be REALLY fast haha. If you cut the cider's alcohol and sweeten it, then you would be able to drink it pretty much right away. Seeing as lighter and sweeter ciders both tend to be ready quikcer.

eeebigeee · 11-04-2009, 01:19 PM

I think we need to do a few more experiments to determine your answer to number 1. I suspect that stopping the ferment before all of the sugar is used up will yield the best flavor, however letting it ferment all of the way out is much more convenient.

Check out this awesome discussion on the brewing network that describes the same process but done commercially by Two Rivers Cider out on the west coast.

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/membersarchive/dwnldarchive05-21-06.mp3

I see where you are coming from Tusch, but if you let the cider ferment out all of the way, there is more alcohol in your cider so it might be ok to cut it just a little.

I just tried some backsweetening on one of my batches but I was using un-pasteurized cider. I ran everything through a rough plate filter to try to get all of the yeast out after cold crashing. I'm not sure quite yet if that got all of the yeast or if I should also put the polish mat in the filter and run it through twice. That was last week, I'll check the gravity & taste and report back.

Kevin can probably answer the temp question for #2. I just chilled everything down to about 35F.

flyweed · 11-04-2009, 04:50 PM

I've posted on this same topic before. my recommendation is to stop the ferment early to your "taste"....fermenting dry and then backsweetening with anything, at least to me, simply tastes "backsweetened".....where stopping the ferment at your desired gravity will yield a full, original taste without the obvious backsweetening additions. Remember, most of the large scale, store bought hard ciders are fairly sweet, and aren't real high in alcohol content, usually less than 8%. For cold crashing, I like bringing temps down to about 36F for a week and then kegging and keeping cold.

HTH
Dan

wreckinball9 · 11-04-2009, 07:51 PM

+1 on cold crashing at the desired sweetness. backsweetening, as kevin points out, should be what you do when you f#%k up a batch, not what you set out to do.

Scut_Monkey · 11-04-2009, 08:13 PM

I'm not really worried about diluting the ABV content by adding some fresh cider as it will still be around 4.5% which is good for me. Also, it really won't make much of a difference because I would be letting it ferment out further thereby giving it more alcohol to dilute down.

I think normally when people discuss back sweetening it's in regard to adding a type of sugar only and not the sugar and "flavor" that comes with back sweetening with fresh cider. It's this fresh cider flavor that I think would be interesting. We all know that as fermentation continues a lot of the apple flavor is stripped out. By adding fresh cider I feel that I can regain most of this flavor and balance it nicely with the hard cider flavors.

I think what I might end up doing is stopping the ferment early (1.008-1.010) on one keg by crash cooling it while the other I can ferment almost out and back sweeten with fresh cider after I crash cool it. I figure I have two batches and it might be worth it to try both and compare side by side.