My cider has turned out a little too bitter. I added some regurlar table sugar to a glass of it and that seemed to help. My question is how much sugar is needed for 5 gallons? Is table sugar the way to go or does something else work better? It was fermented with brown sugar.
Cider too bitter
- Thread starter btencate
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Any fermentable sugar you add is going to ferment out unless you kill the yeast. If you do that, you can't carbonate. If you want both, you'll have to use something like Lactose or Splenda. A cup of splenda in 5 gallons is about the most I can stand.
Tusch
Well-Known Member
Did you chemically kill off the yeast?
If you didn't, then you can't add sugar to the batch. The yeast will merely eat them up, raising the abv and adding co2 to the bottles (if you are bottling) creating bottle bombs.
To sweeten a brew that wasn't chemically stopped, you need to use unfermentable sugars. Such as splenda or lactose.
Now to figure out how much you need, take a measured sample of your cider. Add to that a measured amount of splenda or lactose. Keep increasing the amts of sugar until you reach just enough sweetness. Then do the math! If it takes 2 grams of splenda to sweeten 8 oz of cider. Just multiply it up to 128 oz per gallon. (5 gallons would be 640oz)
If you didn't, then you can't add sugar to the batch. The yeast will merely eat them up, raising the abv and adding co2 to the bottles (if you are bottling) creating bottle bombs.
To sweeten a brew that wasn't chemically stopped, you need to use unfermentable sugars. Such as splenda or lactose.
Now to figure out how much you need, take a measured sample of your cider. Add to that a measured amount of splenda or lactose. Keep increasing the amts of sugar until you reach just enough sweetness. Then do the math! If it takes 2 grams of splenda to sweeten 8 oz of cider. Just multiply it up to 128 oz per gallon. (5 gallons would be 640oz)
How old is your cider? Brown sugar tends to make a very dry cider, however, the longer cider ages the more it mellows and sweetens.
GrantLee63
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Most ciders are drank waaaaaaaay too early. Let this one bulk-age for at least one year before deciding to either bottle or keg. Trust me.
- GL63
- GL63
It'll ferment out until the alcohol tolerance of the yeast is reached. It will also thin out the body some, too.
For example, if you used champagne yeast, you could probably get 18% ABV before the yeast pooped out and reached their limit. So, you'd have rocket fuel for sure!
If you want to sweeten as is, you have a couple of options. One is to stabilize the cider by adding campden and sorbate and then sweeten to taste. You will not be able to bottle carbonate that way. If you want to still carbonate this batch (and don't keg), you can add lactose, splenda, equal, etc to taste.
For example, if you used champagne yeast, you could probably get 18% ABV before the yeast pooped out and reached their limit. So, you'd have rocket fuel for sure!
If you want to sweeten as is, you have a couple of options. One is to stabilize the cider by adding campden and sorbate and then sweeten to taste. You will not be able to bottle carbonate that way. If you want to still carbonate this batch (and don't keg), you can add lactose, splenda, equal, etc to taste.
