Tonight I'm fermenting my first batch of cider. Doing a 1-gallon batch using juice I bought from the Hudson Valley. I'm going to ferment using Nottingham dry yeast and split between 2 growlers. I took a gravity reading, and it's only 1042, which seems to be pretty low based on what I've read. Is it worth it to add some sugar to the mix to boost the gravity, or should I just ferment as is? I'm going to carbonate it, and I was looking to make a style that was off-dry/semi-dry, basically in the English style.
Cider OG question
- Thread starter BrettV
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Fresh ciders I've used, and most that I've seen in other threads, seem to run somewhere around 1.045. If that ferments to completion, you'll get around a 5% ABV. So, the question becomes, do you want a higher ABV? If you do, add sugar. But bear in mind, adding too much sugar strips out the apple flavor notes and you're left with a more dry, wine-like product.
I have read that we want a minimum of 1.045 OG, and I believe that it affects the cider's stability when aging. Something about the alcohol level keeping bacteria from growing. This is out of my realm here but that's what I read.
Of course if you're gonna drink it right away I guess it dunn matter.
Of course if you're gonna drink it right away I guess it dunn matter.
