Sound Off On Backsweetening

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Yoshi_J

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Hey All,

I was hoping some of the cider brewing heavyweights would weigh in on this one.

So I have been perusing the forum for info on backsweetening and the majority of threads seem to be case specific e.g. newbies like me with specific questions regarding their desired end results.

I was just curious what some of the more experienced and established cider makers prefer to do when they want a sweet cider and the reasons behind it. Do you use Splenda or lactose, simply cold crash, or use a different method altogether? It would be great to hear the methods behind your madnesses and maybe get an idea on the most common/preferred method.

Thanks in advance!

btw: I just recently backsweetened my first batch with stevia and find it to leave a very distinct aftertaste. I think I might go with lactose next time.
 
Lactose is not very sweet at all. It gives mouth feel more than sweetness, I don't think I would rely on it to backsweeten, if you want a sweet or semi-dry cider.

To answer your question, its important to know if you are talking about kegging your cider (and force carbing) or bottle conditioning it?
 
I absolutely hardcore second Pappers on the lactose. It does not add sweetness to the cider.

My 2 preferred methods have been:
1 -- Keg, backsweeten, and keep cold to avoid fermentation

2-- Before I had a keg system, keep a jug of simple syrup in the fridge. Add a tsp or 2 to the glass, pour the cider in the glass, and stir. No funny aftertaste, and the level of sweetening can be tailored to the drinker.

I couldn't find any other alternatives that were suitable to me.
 
You can use xylitol.
Despite its horrible chemically sounding name, xylitol is a naturally occurring plant sugar that they derive mainly from corn.
spenda is not natural.

I've used Xylitol in my cider and can't tell the difference when compared to real sugar. Xylitol can be found in health stores.

naeco
 
I backsweetened my last batch with xylitol and to me there is definitely an artificial sweetener taste to it... I probably will not use it again.
 
Lactose is not very sweet at all. It gives mouth feel more than sweetness, I don't think I would rely on it to backsweeten, if you want a sweet or semi-dry cider.

To answer your question, its important to know if you are talking about kegging your cider (and force carbing) or bottle conditioning it?

I had bottle conditioning more in mind when I posted, but I'm interested in any established cider maker's preferred methods for obtaining a sweet or semi-dry cider be it through keg or bottle.

Since reading your post, I've also read up on lactose and have definitely decided against it. Would you recommend simply killing the yeast with campden (or something similar) at a certain SG instead of letting all the sugars ferment out and then having to backsweeten?
 
Regarding killing the yeast. Only kill it if you intend to keg it. If you don't have a keg you have to let it ferment dry (all the digestible sugar gets eaten up). To put carbonation back into the cider you will need to add priming sugar and let it re-ferment in the bottle. The amount of priming sugar is important. Adding too much will make it explode. If you bottle carb it, you need some yeast hanging around in the cider, so you can't kill them. If you kill the yeast and do not have a keg to force carb it you will end up with flat cider.
 
Not that I consider myself to be even close to a heavyweight, but I prefer to prime with extra sugar and then use the pasteurizing method on this forum to keep it carbonated and sweet. (I believe credit goes to Yooper on this method?)
It's time consuming (especially when you do 10 gal at a time) but 3-6 months down the line, well worth it.
 
My first Cider I fermented it until about 1.015, primed it and let it bottle condition then used Pappers sticky on heat pasteurization. On my second batch I let it ferment all the way out, cold crashed it and now its aging in a carboy. This time though, I am using a kegging system and a keezer I just finished building. I plan on using Apple Juice Concentrate to backsweeten this time, the only part I am confused about is whether or not I am going to need to use campden/sorbate on this batch? The reason I ask this is what if I plan on bottling a few from the keg, I don't want any bottle bombs!
 
You'll risking bottle bombs if you don't campden/sorbate. Almost certainly some live yeast will be transferred into the bottle with the sweetened cider.

I do prefer cider without the sorbate in it, so if i were doing it i would keep the kegged portion separate from the bottled portion. That way i wouldn't have to sorbate the kegged portion.
 
One thing I have done to leave some residual sugar in my cider is to use specialty malt which will leave behind undigestible sugar for the yeast. Along with that you can use an ale yeast that does not highly attenuate. I think some english yeast strains might work well, just take a look ath what the percentage of attenuation is and go from there. I know by adding some specialty grains you won't have a true cider any more but it does leave some sweetness behind. This brew, or graff, whatever you want to call it also pairs well with crystal or caramel malt since caramel and apple go nicely together. You can take a look at the cider I did here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/crystal-malt-cider-186653/
I think that this cider/graff ended up pretty good but could have used some additional residual sugar along with a less attenuating yeast strain. Hope this helps you out. I'm about to brew a cider/wheat ale using a belgian abbey yeast and some specialty grains. Hope it turns out well. If you have any questions let me know.
mfs
 
I'm a keg only person and don't filter or crash cool before transfer. I just add 2 cartons of frozen concentrate per 5-gallon keg and keep it in the high 30s to prevent fermentation from starting back up. I've filled some growlers for transport but am anal about making sure they get consumed quickly or kept refrigerated.
 
Yeah, you really don't need to filter it. I only filter because I use pressed apples and I really don't want the bits sticking to my faucets or tubing. I don't keep my keg too cold but it's definitely not ideal for the lil yeasty-beasties and keeps things nice and sweet.
 
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