First batch, can I sweeten it with cider?

Getting ready to make my first batch of cider. This is my first post also. I have been brewing for about ten years off and on, but have only done a few wine batches, so I have the tools. Our local home brew shop is setting it up to sell “Fresh pressed Cider from the apples of Sholan Farms right here in Leominster No preservatives, nothing added.” It is hard to find unpasturized cider, this is great.

My plan is to pick up seven gallons and ferment six gallons, I will let come to room temperature right after I pick it up and then pitch with the Cuvee wine yeast as recommended by goose1873. I am also going to add honey to bring the SG up to 1.100 based on BrewinCrazy’s post “The taste test”.

My question is if I freeze the extra gallon can I use it to sweeten the cider when it finishes fermenting? This is what I do with wine (White Zinfnidel) I let it ferment completely, knock off the yeast and then sweeten to taste usually around 1.020 FG. The temperature up here is just right, I should be able to let it get down to 32 degrees to help settle and clarify it when it finishes. I will then bottle and cork it. Thanks

Absolutely. That's what I do, and I recently visited an awesome artisan cidermaker in Wisconsin and they said they do the same thing.

One catch, though... You mentioned bottling. Are you planning on making a still cider then? Obviously you can't backsweeten AND naturally carbonate your cider.

Wouldn't the yeast just eat the freshly added sugar?

It was going to be a still cider, my plan was to stop the yeast with a sulphite and sorbate treatment. This is what I have done with the wine kits. Now I might split the batch and carbonate some.

I did the freezing thing last fall. I also found some other information that you might find beneficial. If you backsweeten with regular fresh cider, you will dilute your cider a bit. Somewhere I read that if you thaw it upside down (milk jug), and catch the first runnings, that will be the sugars, and the majority of the water will still be frozen. I don't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but I think I thawed a gallon and collected about 2/3 of the concentrated sugars, and left the remaining water behind. It was definitely a lot higher SG than the regular fresh cider. That way you can get the SG up to where you want it, without watering it down too much.

Something to consider.

Was thinking of doing the same to my current batch of cider. But I was thinking of boiling the cider down to a syrup before adding to avoid dilution.

Freezing will concentrate the flavor I think... Wouldn't boiling it esp to lower the volume boil off some of the fresh flavor with it? Ive been wrong before so it's more of a ignorant statement but I freeze condense myself but m also lazy and stick that in the freezer and do other stuff rather than watch a boiling pot

zoedog said:

Was thinking of doing the same to my current batch of cider. But I was thinking of boiling the cider down to a syrup before adding to avoid dilution.

Click to expand...

I believe boiling the juice will set the pectin (enzyme in apples) and create clarity issues...but don't quote me on this!!

Moerdertaktiken is correct, boiling cider will set the pectins.

I tried to condense a gallon this way, and I let it go too far, and ended up with something that was thicker, and stickier, than molasses.