I tried cider but turned out like a wine

Hi everbody;

I tired to make a cider. I used 100% apple juice and I squeezed 1 kg apple and put in it. It was 1 gallon patch. Because of lack of cider yeast I used young`s super compound wine yeast. Fermentation stopped after 4 days. I waited until a week. Then I taste it a bit. It turned out like a wine rather than a cider. Smells and tastes like wine but I think alcohol ABV is not more than 6-7%. I didn`t measure that but I had a glass of it, I guessed ABV. Then I syphon that to another demi-John. I just wonder If I put some brown sugar, new patch of yeast in it and leave another fermentation. Can it be possible. If it is do you think, it turns out well?

if you use wine yeast it is going to turn out like wine. i would recomend if you are going to try cider again you use nottingham yeast if you dont have any cider yeast

Thanks for suggestion. It was very snowy week in here. Roads were closed and I haven`t got vehicle also my home brewing supply very far away from me. I couldn`t go there. I found wine yeast in my supermarket I gave it a try.

I'm assuming you didn't add sugar, so that is good. I'm a tad concerned about the fermenting time. There is Midwest Brew Supply, who will ship you just yeast for something like $5 or so.

If you add brown sugar, my bet is going to be that your cider will restart fermentation and the ABV will be higher.

You mentioned that it tastes more like a wine than a cider, is there a commercial cider you were trying to clone? Just a shot in the dark but a lot of good UK cider comes from Somerset. Were you wanting to make one from that area?

Teromous said:

If you add brown sugar, my bet is going to be that your cider will restart fermentation and the ABV will be higher.

You mentioned that it tastes more like a wine than a cider, is there a commercial cider you were trying to clone? Just a shot in the dark but a lot of good UK cider comes from Somerset. Were you wanting to make one from that area?

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No I didn`t want to clone any commercial cider. I found some reduced price 100% apple juice and apples. I wanted to try a cider. It was my first cider. I have been brewing a beer for year or so but I never tried cider or wine. I didn`t find any cider yeast and tried wine yeast. Now It tastes like wine so I want to improve alcohol level and make it a wine. I just wonder If I add sugar and yeast, Is it going to be a good wine?

if you add some sugar it will definatly up the alchohol and probably make a better wine. i would recomend letting it sit for about 4 months after adding the sugar ad after you make sure the fermentation starts. if you havent aleady done so i would also recomend raising the temp back up to about 60 degrees F. i would think darker sugars would impart more caramel type notes. hope that helps

Thank you

I haven`t add sugar yet. I will buy some sugar and add this night. I use fermenter heater for heat up the temperature in the demo-John but it hasn`t got temperature control. When I brew beer I use inside heater which has a temperature control but it doesn`t fit in 1 gallon demi-john so temperature will be high enough with fermenter heater anyway. I will write here, after adding sugar.

Thanks again,

6% to 7% is about right for cider. let it set and see how it turns out. you can always add sugar and yeast later and make a real apple wine out of it. Start another batch instead of messing with this one. It might turn out great with a little time.

mmadmikes1 said:

6% to 7% is about right for cider. let it set and see how it turns out. you can always add sugar and yeast later and make a real apple wine out of it. Start another batch instead of messing with this one. It might turn out great with a little time.

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To far to late. I have just added 500 gram of brown sugar in it and syphoned to another demi-john. Then plugged the fermenter heater again. Time will show as how it turns out.

You will have apple wine now

It's difficult to retain the apple flavor when the juice ferments out completely. Backsweetening with an unfermentable sugar/sweetener will bring out more of the apple.

mmadmikes1 said:

You will have apple wine now

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Not too bad. My wife loves it anyway.

david_42 said:

It's difficult to retain the apple flavor when the juice ferments out completely. Backsweetening with an unfermentable sugar/sweetener will bring out more of the apple.

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Yes I know it. Normaly I use sweetener with coffee and tea every time rahter than sugar so I got enough at home. The problem is I have never done backsweetening before.

If you also brew beer you could try an ale yeast in a batch and see how you like the flavor. I have tried it and I found the taste to be quite nice.

jcobbs said:

If you also brew beer you could try an ale yeast in a batch and see how you like the flavor. I have tried it and I found the taste to be quite nice.

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Yes I know. I heard several times but I never tired yet.

After a week in the fermentation again, I syphoned my wine to new demi-john and I unplugged the heater because it uses too much electricity. In this time of the year as you imagine inside of the house is cold. Out side is -3,-4 C in the evening and in the is around 15 C. Sometimes I turn on the boiler and it goes up. I just wonder if this temperature is enough for secondary fermentation.

Secondly, do I need to use stablizer or camden tablets in this stage and if I need when exactly?

Dont add campden until fermentation is done. You didnt say how warm it was inside but I try to keep all fermenters at about 70

mmadmikes1 said:

Dont add campden until fermentation is done. You didnt say how warm it was inside but I try to keep all fermenters at about 70

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Sorry I said the inside temperature but it wasn`t clear I guess. Inside temperature is 15-18C degree.

After 2 months in secondary, I added camden tablet and wine finishings. When it was clearing, I tested a bit. It was very dry wine. I have done back sweetening. I went for artificial sweetener (like splenda), After a 2-3 weeks, wine almost cleared and I tested a bit. Now it is too sweet. It is like sherbet. Please help me, How can I bring back, a bit of dryness. I want it in the middle.

Many thanks