Finishing options for a sweet carbonated cider?

[Brittney M]

There you have my dilemma, sweet AND carbonated. I’ve had my brew kit about 1-2 weeks now and I started off with a cider. I want a sweet cider and I read/watched videos that the best way of doing that is by kegging. You stop fermentation and back sweeten. So here’s where I’m at, had some ideas start jumping at me but I’m new so they might be illogical ones.
I’d like to do bottle at some point (future batch) so I’m wondering, can’t I raise the og and use a yeast with an attentuation that will finish higher so I don’t have to backsweeten? Thus being able to bottle... or even to not have to back sweeten the keg? I’ve also read that if the yeast have eaten all they can, they won’t eat any more sugar meaning can’t carb bottles.... am I heading in the right direction on anything? Help me out here

 

[RPh_Guy]

Beginner sweet and carbonated methods:
1. Stop fermentation early (cold crash), chemically stabilize, and force carbonate*.
2. Ferment dry, stabilize, backsweeten, and force carbonate*.
3. Ferment dry, backsweeten, bottle, allow to carbonate (monitor), and then pasteurize.
4. Ferment dry, add a non-fermentable sweetener, prime, and bottle.
5. Add sugar or concentrate to exceed the alcohol tolerance of the yeast, fermentation will finish sweet, force carbonate*.

*Force carbonation can be achieved via kegging or by using a carbonation cap on bottles.

Beginner sweet and still methods:
1. Stop fermentation early (cold crash), and then stabilize.
2. Ferment dry, stabilize, and backsweeten.
3. Add sugar or concentrate to exceed the alcohol tolerance of the yeast, and then fermentation will finish sweet.

If cold crashing, pick a yeast that is known for that ability. Not every yeast will stop when it gets cold.

Cheers

 

[Brittney M]

Wow, that was definitely insightful! My plan was what you put in #2 of sweet/carbed. I see what you put last was to exceed the alcohol tolerance of yeast. Does attenuation not play any role? My train of thought may be wrong as I was reading on a thread on this site that “no matter how much sugar you put in, it won’t restart fermentation if the yeast ate all they can.” That was written in relation to attenuation percentages but should it really been for tolerance?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Does attenuation not play any role?

Correct, the listed attenuation of beer yeast doesn't matter with cider because all the fruit sugar is easily fermentable (besides a relatively small amount of sorbitol).

In other words, "attenuation" is in regard to the yeast's ability to ferment maltotriose and dextrins, neither of which are present in cider.

What matters is the alcohol tolerance. The actual amount of alcohol produced should be close to the listed value, but it may vary to some degree.

One other easy method I forgot:
Sweet, slightly sparkling:
1. Stop fermentation early (cold crash), rack into one or more plastic containers, and keep refrigerated until consumed.

 

[Brittney M]

Ahh thank you so much for the info! So much to learn

Really appreciate your breakdown as well