Help with cider recipe?

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!

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.

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 said:

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.

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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.