Hard Cider Second Timer

[wallags]

Hello Everyone. I'll apologize in advance for this long message but I could use some advice. Started with 3 gallons of unpasteurized cider on my stovetop temp at 185 for 45 minutes to kill any wild yeast and added 2 lbs of brown sugar.. After cooling added my yeast started that contained Red Star Côte de Blames and transferred to my fermenting bucket for 2 weeks. Starting gravity was 1.078.
Transferred to glass carboy yesterday with a gravity of 1.000 and very dry. I'm going to give it 3-4 weeks in the carboy before doing anything else. Here are a couple of questions:
1. I would like to sweeten the cider because me and my family like these on the sweeter side. Any suggestions on what to use and how to do this?
2.I have a 2.5 gallon party keg that is pressurized using CO2 cartridges so I can't force carb these kegs. I could also get glass jugs or bottles but that last time I tried to make hard cider I had a one gallon glass jug explode in my refrigerator.
3. Besides heating the cider in glass bottles, is there any way to get the fermentation to stop. I know that's what happened with the exploding gas jug.

I appreciate all suggestions and help with this. The sample I tasted yesterday was great and as you can tell will have a significant alcohol level. Thank you in advance for your help. CHEERS!!

wallags

 

[Maylar]

Once the cider has cleared and all the yeast has settled out, you have 3 options -

1 - Sweeten with unfermentable sugar (I use Xylitol) and bottle carbonate using standard beer levels of sugar. No bottle bombs.

2- Sweeten with whatever and stove top pasteurize. There's a sticky here about that but, yes, there are risks.

3 - Get a CO2 tank and regulator for that keg. It's an investment you will never regret. Stabilize the cider with potassium metabisulfide and potassium sorbate then add any sugar you want and keg it. You would also be able to bottle directly from the keg.

 

[BILTIT]

4 - add more sugar until the yeast stalls out from alcohol toxicity and you have some residual sweetness left.

This is becoming my preferred method. It does raise the alcohol content though, some may not like that.

 

[Maylar]

4 - add more sugar until the yeast stalls out from alcohol toxicity and you have some residual sweetness left.

This is becoming my preferred method. It does raise the alcohol content though, some may not like that.

OK for wine and mead. "Cider" is normally way under the ABV limit of any commercial yeast.

 

[z-bob]

You can also make a squirt bottle of simple syrup (just sugar and water, or sugar and apple juice, boil just to dissolve the sugar) and let people sweeten their own glass at serving time.

Try using 2L plastic soda bottles. They have a much higher burst strength than glass bottles, and they aren't as dangerous if they do fail. And they are resealable (so you can refrigerate them when they are carbed, and then if it's taking a long time to drink them all you can loosen the lids and bleed off a little CO2)