Another first time cider brew..

Well, after looking through most of the Sticky/CvilleKevin's Experiments thread and researching as many other threads as I could, I've finally got an idea for my first shot at cider.


5 Gallons of Motts Apple Juice (May try an all organic blend tho)
US05 Dry Yeast
2 lbs Cane Sugar
1/3 Gallon of Apple Juice as Priming Sugar

Plans are to ferment for 6 days or possibly longer depending on FG. Then to rack/cold crash for 24 hours and rack again. Bottle carb if possible.

Will I have any problems with bottle bombs if I try to achieve a somewhat sweeter cider? FG: 1.010-1.015.

Any foreseeable problems or advice?

Thanks!

Aaron

If you try to stop fermentation (via cold crashing) and then try and start it up in the bottle to carb, it either won't carb or you'll get bottle bombs.

You can always let it ferment out dry and then backsweeten with something unfermentable and bottle carb.

Just no way around it without dry cider..darn..I guess I will let it ferment out n try backsweetening this time around.

Pincy is right - they let cider freeze and then thaw and it will start fermenting again in the spring. Also, let it ferment longer - at least a month. You can try chemically stopping the ferment, or back sweeten with juice, which will be milder in sugar, sort of. Sorry, I haven't exactly figured out the magic way for sweet hard cider. The Brits keep telling me that I need to learn to drink it dry rather than fight the cider.

If you want a carbonated sweet cider and are just starting, you have two options:
1) You can cold crash the cider, using the natural apple sugar to achieve the sg you want, and use a keg for carbonation.
2) You can bottle the cider at a high sg, let it continue to carbonate for a short amount of time and pasteurize the bottles to stop the yeast. There are several threads on this

Thanks guys, I'll continue to research while its fermenting away Almost no krausen at hour 48, but the airlock and bubbles inside the carboy are very active!

The recipe I'm brewing today calls for adding 1/2 Lb of lactose after allowing it to ferment dry. Then add 4 oz of priming sugar and bottle. The priming sugar should be consumed to carbonate the beer while the lactose should remain as a sweetener since it's unfermentable.... in theory. I'm waiting on confirmation of this very fact on the thread next to this one...

HOP-HEAD said:

The recipe I'm brewing today calls for adding 1/2 Lb of lactose after allowing it to ferment dry. Then add 4 oz of priming sugar and bottle. The priming sugar should be consumed to carbonate the beer while the lactose should remain as a sweetener since it's unfermentable.... in theory. I'm waiting on confirmation of this very fact on the thread next to this one...

Click to expand...

Yep, that's EXACTLY how it works. Go make some cider, man!
Regards, GF.

I'm gonna try I something similar with Spenda. Hopefully it'll turn out alright If not, I guess I'll have to drink it faster n start a new batch!

edit:

Here's what I ended up using.

SG: 1.065
3 Gallons Motts Fresh Pressed AJ
2 Gallons Motts AJ
2 lbs Cane Sugar
1 Packet of US05 Yeast
Splenda if needed.