Way to tart

[JohnnyJumpUp22]

I just made a batch of apple cider and the finished product was WAY to tart. I used five gal. Of apple juice, one packet of champagne yeast, yeast nutrient, and some brown sugar to start. I racked it after one week onto cinnamon sticks and added some frozen apple juice to back sweeten. I also added some campden tablets to stop the fermentation. After a week I racked it again and gave it a taste and wow was it tart. What can I do to avoid this in the future?

 

[RegarRenill]

I just made a batch of apple cider and the finished product was WAY to tart. I used five gal. Of apple juice, one packet of champagne yeast, yeast nutrient, and some brown sugar to start. I racked it after one week onto cinnamon sticks and added some frozen apple juice to back sweeten. I also added some campden tablets to stop the fermentation. After a week I racked it again and gave it a taste and wow was it tart. What can I do to avoid this in the future?

You need to use kmeta(campden) AND potassium sorbate. They will NOT stop an active fermentation, but they will prevent new fermentation. What happened is when you only added the campden, your yeasts got stunned for a bit, then ate all of the new sugars you added. The cider tasted tart due to the malic acid found naturally in apples that is usually masked by the sweetness.

 

[bernardsmith]

If you have patience and can allow the cider to age 9 months or so the tartness will drop out and a far smoother taste will take its place. Or if you have not added sorbate you can add a package of the bacteria that convert malic to lactic acid

 

[pkincaid]

How long has it been sitting? On top of the manic acid issue, it could have turned to apple cider vinegar.

 

[RegarRenill]

I racked it after one week onto cinnamon sticks and added some frozen apple juice to back sweeten. I also added some campden tablets to stop the fermentation. After a week I racked it again and gave it a taste and wow was it tart.[\QUOTE]

How long has it been sitting? On top of the manic acid issue, it could have turned to apple cider vinegar.

It's been 2 weeks since he pitched the yeast.

 

[pkincaid]

Ok, so it's probably not vinegar.
How much sugar did you use?
Also, you said you added apple juice to back sweeten after 2 weeks? Have you been taking gravity readings. It's VERY likely that your fermentation was not done when you added the extra sugars and the yeast just over ate. Neither Sorbate or campden stop fermentation. They inhibit the reproduction of yeasts so new colonies aren't formed and create a hostile environment for bad bacteria. They should be added when fermentation is complete. Cold crashing helps drop them out of suspension also. I think you just made apple wine. That's going to take time to mellow, but can be back sweetened again when you're sure that fermentation is done.

 

[JohnnyJumpUp22]

I added one cup of sugar at the beginning.

 

[pkincaid]

How much to back sweeten?
I think your yeast just didn't start partying until you sweetened and they produced a bunch of sour tannic flavors.

 

[JohnnyJumpUp22]

Cinnamon sticks and one tube of frozen apple juice to back sweeten

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Next time, you might try using Lalvin 71-B yeast, it will metabolize some of that malic acid. You might also try an ale yeast, they don't strip out flavour like champagne yeast does & tend to leave some residual sweetness.

For your current batch, you could try calcium carbonate, but use it sparingly, it's easy to use too much & end up with a chalky tasting cider. You could also try backsweetening again in combination with chemical stabilization, or pasteurization. Bulk aging might solve the problem too, but it might take longer than you're willing to wait. You could also just sweeten each serving as you serve it. Just add a spoonful or 2 of sugar to each glass & stirr it up before drinking. This would work great if you're serving it as a hot toddy or as glogg.
Regards, GF.

 

[Yooper]

I just made a batch of apple cider and the finished product was WAY to tart. I used five gal. Of apple juice, one packet of champagne yeast, yeast nutrient, and some brown sugar to start. I racked it after one week onto cinnamon sticks and added some frozen apple juice to back sweeten. I also added some campden tablets to stop the fermentation. After a week I racked it again and gave it a taste and wow was it tart. What can I do to avoid this in the future?

As was mentioned, campden doesn't stop fermentation. In order to stabilize the cider (not possible in two weeks), the cider must be totally clear and with no lees on the bottom of the carboy. Then, it is racked into a combination of campden and sorbate, and then it can be sweetened.

Adding campden does nothing to stop fermentation. It is an antioxidant, and wine yeast is tolerant of sulfites- that's why winemakers use it.

Let it ferment out, Then let it clear. Once it's totally clear, and no longer dropping any sediment at all, then stabilize it and sweeten. This takes a while, not just a week or two.