how much sugar needed for 5 gal?
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Carbonation depend on the style usually but for a Barley Wine they are usually have low carbonation.
There are a bunch of books and things on the web about proper carbonation levels... John Palmers book has a bit on this I think.
I keg and have found that if it calles for 4 oz of corn sugar when bottling,,, that this is to much for a keg (if others have a different experiance I would like to hear it).
BUT: I still toos in 5 oz since the keg will eventually normalize, not an option when bottling.
I put a newly ready Kolsch in the keezer last night,,, it was over carbonated at room temp, but we will see to night now that its temp has dropped..
18% Ho-my-goodness...
There are a bunch of books and things on the web about proper carbonation levels... John Palmers book has a bit on this I think.
I keg and have found that if it calles for 4 oz of corn sugar when bottling,,, that this is to much for a keg (if others have a different experiance I would like to hear it).
BUT: I still toos in 5 oz since the keg will eventually normalize, not an option when bottling.
I put a newly ready Kolsch in the keezer last night,,, it was over carbonated at room temp, but we will see to night now that its temp has dropped..
18% Ho-my-goodness...
nullvalue
Active Member
I did about 3.5 lbs brown sugar in my batch and am at about 12% ABV, I'm thinking I could have gone up to 5 lbs though. Next time. 
If you're going for that high of an ABV you'll probably have to make sure you use yeast nutrient or your they will run out of gas beforehand.
If you're going for that high of an ABV you'll probably have to make sure you use yeast nutrient or your they will run out of gas beforehand.
roadymi
Well-Known Member
Just cause your yeast will go 18% doesn't make it a good idea. You will lose most all apple flavor, will need a very long time to age. IMHO ciders are best at 6-8%.
You can make an apple wine with higher abv but use a recipe that is balanced, don't just throw in some juice, sugar, and yeast and expect good results.
To answer your question juice typically has sg of 1.05 adding 15 lbs sugar will take you to 1.142 with abv potential of 18%
You can make an apple wine with higher abv but use a recipe that is balanced, don't just throw in some juice, sugar, and yeast and expect good results.
To answer your question juice typically has sg of 1.05 adding 15 lbs sugar will take you to 1.142 with abv potential of 18%
I agree wholeheartedly with Roadymi. I started making hard cider in 2007, adding sugar and letting it ferment all the way to dry. At 13% you get inebriated fast but way to harsh followed by head aches.
Last year I experimented with stabilization where the fermentation process is stopped chemically at what I think is 10% (which still could be too high) using a hydrometer. Also, I'm trying to put some finished hard cider in Cornelius keg storage to allow for aging which I understand the benefits don't for at least year later.
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you want to make hooch.
If you make an 18% cider, it will take about 5 years to be pretty good. That's fine, but some people don't have that much patience. It will taste like hot rocket fuel for about two years, then start to mellow into a nice wine-like beverage. Eventually, it could be a nice apple wine. But it will be nothing like a cider at all.
I make apple wine at about 13%, normally. I add a little tannin, a little acid blend, and let it age. It's good by about 18 months old. Any higher ABV and it would take years longer to be good.
