Backsweetening with Frozen AJC

[Archer]

I'm curious about backsweetening with frozen apple juice concentrate and achieving the proper amount of in bottle carbonation. I like to fully ferment my cider down to 1.000 or lower and make sure its done holding there for several days before bottling. I've had good luck with using the small perscribed amount of corn sugar when bottling to acheive just the right amount of in bottle carbonation thereafter. I would likle to try the AJC in lieu of the sugar, but I'm not sure how much AJC would be equivalent to the same amount of corn sugar for carbonation purposes i.e., avoid gushers or bottle bombs. Any answers or thoughts? I usually do small batches, e.g. 3 gal. carboys racked down to about 2.5 gal.s. Many thanks.

 

[h4mmy86]

Put some in a plastic soda bottle and squeeze it periodically to check pressure, then when that bottle is firm cold crash or pasteurize the rest of the batch.

 

[Redking]

I'm not sure on the exact amount of AJC, but I know for a 5 gallon batch you prime with 3/4 cup of sugar generally speaking. So you can just look at the amount of sugar in the AJC and match it to however many grams 3/4 cup of sugar is and add that in and you'd be good to go.

That being said, you won't impart much flavor from the priming sugar, be it white cane sugar or AJC. It's not enough proportionally speaking to make an impact on a huge 5gal batch. If you want to BACKSWEETEN, that is different. That means you are making a cider that has residual sugar in it, where you add however much AJC or sugar to reach your desired level or sweetness/apple flavor. And if you want it to be carbonated, you have 2 options: force carbonate and keg, or bottle pasteurize.

I've never kegged any of my ciders, but I do have experience with pasteurizing - the process of killing all yeast in the bottle after desired carbonation is achieved, via submersion in high temperature water for an extended period of time (basically setting the bottles in really hot water for 10 minutes or so depending on temperature). It is a very delicate process that can be dangerous if you mess up so I'd recommend doing a good bit of research on it frist. There is a sticky on the cider forum called "easy stove top pasteurization" that explains the process much better and explains how to go about doing it. I also have my own process that I feel like is much safer and less cumbersome that you can check out in the first page of my thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/quck-simple-cider-nottingham-yeast-437568/. Hope this helps.

 

[kyt]

I just bottled my first cider last night.
For 1-gal I used 2oz of concentrated juice. On the label it says 1 serving is 2oz/8oz reconstituted, Sugars: 27g
Using this calc: http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
3.785L
2.5 vol CO2
24.6°C
= 26.3g sucrose

Apple sugar will be fructose, so we'll see what happens.
SG 1.012(adjusted)
Bottled to swing tops

But if anyone knows, how long do we leave in bottles before putting in the fridge?
I'm having difficulty finding specific information.

 

[Archer]

Thanks, Redking. I am trying to avoid pasteurizing, as I've done that before and its tedious and nerve wracking; but your idea with the separate cooler definitely has merit if Kyt's theory of calculating the amount of sugar in the AJC to match what I would have added in corn sugar only to accomplish carbonation does not work out.

 

[kyt]

Heh yea let us know if it works for you.
So long as I remember I'll report back with how mine works out.
To the Science!

 

[jflongo]

I'm curious about backsweetening with frozen apple juice concentrate and achieving the proper amount of in bottle carbonation. I like to fully ferment my cider down to 1.000 or lower and make sure its done holding there for several days before bottling. I've had good luck with using the small perscribed amount of corn sugar when bottling to acheive just the right amount of in bottle carbonation thereafter. I would likle to try the AJC in lieu of the sugar, but I'm not sure how much AJC would be equivalent to the same amount of corn sugar for carbonation purposes i.e., avoid gushers or bottle bombs. Any answers or thoughts? I usually do small batches, e.g. 3 gal. carboys racked down to about 2.5 gal.s. Many thanks.

For me I bottled around 5.25 gallons of cider awhile back, it was 1.000 from 1.079. I dumped in 2 cans of thawed 100% apple juice concentrate into a bottling bucket. Then I racked the cider into that from my carboy. This did a very good job carbonating all of my bottles, but only a very tiny bit of sweetening. You could try using some wine conditioner, I have heard that does a pretty good job sweetening, not sure if that is fermentable or not, I'm assuming it is.

 

[Hello]

Wine conditioner is a non-fermentable so it will sweeten but won't carb. If you're looking for still cider, use that for sure. Also, I have yet to find out, but I wonder if using this could also allow you to skip pasteurization and not have to store the cider in a fridge to prevent bottle bombs.

 

[kyt]

@jflongo -
How long did you leave it bottled and at what temp?
I'd like to grab mine when there is some carb and still some sweet left. Prior to bottling it was a little on the dry side heh. Used 1116 yeast.
Just 2oz of juice didn't really add much sweet at all. If I loose it all fine. It's a learning experience.

 

[jflongo]

@jflongo -
How long did you leave it bottled and at what temp?
I'd like to grab mine when there is some carb and still some sweet left. Prior to bottling it was a little on the dry side heh. Used 1116 yeast.
Just 2oz of juice didn't really add much sweet at all. If I loose it all fine. It's a learning experience.

I store mine in the basement, probably around 65 - 70 degrees F. I tried these anywhere from 1 week, to 2 - 3 months.

 

[HopSong]

Wine conditioner is a non-fermentable so it will sweeten but won't carb. If you're looking for still cider, use that for sure. Also, I have yet to find out, but I wonder if using this could also allow you to skip pasteurization and not have to store the cider in a fridge to prevent bottle bombs.

I haven't even finished fermenting my first batch.. but your comment is interesting. If cider is fermented completely and you add a non-fermentable.. why would you wonder about bottle bombs? There should be nothing to create more gas.. unless I'm missing something… ? I've got a lot to learn.

 

[Redking]

I haven't even finished fermenting my first batch.. but your comment is interesting. If cider is fermented completely and you add a non-fermentable.. why would you wonder about bottle bombs? There should be nothing to create more gas.. unless I'm missing something… ? I've got a lot to learn.

In this case you'd backsweeten with the non fermentable and prime with enough fermentable sugar to carbonate in the bottles to achieve a sweeter sparkling cider.

 

[Archer]

That's exactly what I've been doing with no bottle bomb issues. I want to try AJC as the in bottle carbonation source...create just enough carbonation in bottle...but I don't expect it to back sweeten. You can't have carbonation and back sweetening from the same additive or you risk the bottle bombs if you don't pastuerize.

 

[kyt]

The AJC works perfectly to carbonate. Mine are perfectly carbed per the amounts I mentioned earlier.
However, I opened one yesterday to see how it was doing. Carbonation is good, but it tastes and smells like sulfur.
Like very dry rotten egg champagne. plech!

 

[Randzor]

I dd one can of AJC to 5 gallons of Cider. Carbonated perfectly, if a tiny bit on the high side for me...

 

[kyt]

I dd one can of AJC to 5 gallons of Cider. Carbonated perfectly, if a tiny bit on the high side for me...

Does it smell of nasty sulfur?