Backsweeten cider without killing the yeast? (Cold only)

[DroneKeeper]

I have a cider I'd like to backsweeten as it is too tart/dry for my liking. If I cold crash and rack to a keg in the kegerator (and keep the cider cold for it's remaining life on earth) would it be acceptable to sweeten it without using potassium sorbate and campden? I know if I did this I could never fill a bottle or allow it to come back to room temp or I would risk restarting the fermentation.

 

[dmtaylor]

Cold temperature will keep the yeast slow but it will keep on working for as long as you have it, unless you stabilized with sorbate. If you drink all the cider within a couple months, it should be fine, but if you intend to hang onto it for longer than that, it will dry out significantly with age.

 

[TandemTails]

You can also look into a non-fermentable sugar source such as lactose, maltodextrin, xylitol, etc

 

[DroneKeeper]

You can also look into a non-fermentable sugar source such as lactose, maltodextrin, xylitol, etc

Yeah I've been reading a bit more about this also. I think I may give lactose a try. Any recommendations on how much for a 5 gallon batch. Last gravity I took was 1.008 but it may have dropped a bit since then (checking again today.)

 

[TandemTails]

Yeah I've been reading a bit more about this also. I think I may give lactose a try. Any recommendations on how much for a 5 gallon batch. Last gravity I took was 1.008 but it may have dropped a bit since then (checking again today.)

I'm betting your cider will end up fermenting completely dry. I don't really have any suggested dosage rates for lactose but I found this suggestion from a different thread:

About 3 oz lactose per gallon will help take the edge off the dryness. Might even need a little more, depending. I wouldn't advise more than like 4 oz though -- eventually it would become something other than a real cider.

My one suggestion would be to liquify the lactose before adding it to the cider, just like you would with priming sugar. That way you'll get a more even distribution of lactose throughout and it won't just sink to the bottom of the keg/bottle.

 

[ebbelwoi]

Your success may depend somewhat on which yeast you used for the cider. Champagne yeasts are more tolerant to cold temps (aren't they?) and might keep chugging along even at kegerator temps.

 

[Indian_villager]

I use belle saison for my yeast of choice with ciders. I usually backsweeten with 1/2 gal of fresh juice while kegging and I do nothing to stabilize. I have not had an issue in the 4+ years of doing this.