I need help

I had 2 carboys filled around nov 1 with fresh apple cider that had been "Cold Pasteurized" which I have no idea what that means.

I tasted the cider and it was great, so I just added wine yeast and left it alone. It now tastes like bitter green apples. SG is .998 or just below 1.000

I have many pounds of frozen wild black raspberries. I will gladly add what ever it takes to make it sweeter. Malto dextrin?

I thought about honey, but that will just up the alcohol content?

I was thinking 6 cups fruit and 2 lbs honey?

Not a clue, but its too bitter right now. I have a stainless conical available tomorrow so racking the cider on the fruit would be easy.

David

I haven't dabbled much in cider, but my LHBS guy swears by adding corn sugar to sweeten it up.

Depends on if you plan on carb'ing it, especially bottling. If you keg, you could stabilize it with some sorbate and then force carb to your desired level.

I think cold pasteurized means that it was done maybe via UV, or some other way so the juice wasn't heated too high like 150, which some think takes away from some of the aroma or flavor characteristics.

You have lots of options:

stabilize and back sweeten with a fermentable
back sweeten with a non fermentable
carbonate
back sweeten with a fermentable, carbonate and pasteurize.

Just keep in mind that if the yeast are still viable and you add more fermentables the fermentation will start back up.

No carbonation anticipated. I would like to serve it chilled and flat like hard cider my grandfather made. His was sweeter and he added a bunch of cane sugar. High alcohol was not my goal, that is why I just fermented it the way it is. The fruit will add flavor, maybe after its done, I can stabilize (how?) and sweeten a little. Its the girlfriend that likes SWEET wines, so this has to be sweeter than it is. I drink beer.

Today I am going to rack one 5 gal onto the fruit in my fermenter, then the other 5 gals will be taken off the yeast since I will have a clean empty carboy. I also have to keg my "Front Porch Porter" today. Mmmm



David

The bitterness should age out, mine took about a month or so. Some is still there, but in a good way by my tastes. Also, after mine aged for a bit and the bitterness subsided, more of its sweetness and apple flavors were noticeable. So you may want to wait to adjust if your aging it. Just seen you were from Shelby, I go fishing up at Oak Orchard once in a while, when the tourists get too unbearable at burt dam near me.