koyar

Recipes 

Hello,

I'm new to brewing, have made two beers, and I'm trying a cider this time.

I'm using a recipe I found:

"Ingredients
1 Gallon of 100% Juice of your choice
1 Teaspoon of Pasteur Champagne Yeast (I'm using Red Star instead)
1 to 5 cups of White Sugar"

So, 1 to 5 cups sugar is... well, not very precise. Any suggestions on an actual amount to add? My goal is a slightly sweet carbonated cider with anywhere between 5 and 10% abv. Does anyone have a formula or technique for how much sugar to add?

Thanks!

CRock303

Recipes 

If you have a hydrometer just add sugar till you get to your desired gravity for the percent alcohol you want. Then back sweeten and I guess bottle carbonate and pasteurize, you'll have to be careful of bottle bombs unless you have a keg to carbonate.

Without a hydrometer most store bought juice is around 1.05 which will yield about 6.5% so you probably won't have to add any sugar for primary to get in the range you are looking for.

koyar

Recipes 

What's the best way to pasteurize? I have never had to do that.

Is there a thumb rule for amount of sugar added to the increase in gravity?

Thanks!

CRock303

Recipes 

I'm not sure on the formula for sugar it probably has something to do with grams of sugar per volume of liquid, but I just use my hydrometer so I've never had to do the math on it.

As for pasteurization there is a sticky at the top of the forum titles easy stovetop pasteurization. It really is easy and I've had pretty good sucess with it since I started using that method.