Backsweeting favs?

[bmd2k1]

Hey All...

For all the seasoned veterans...curious what your fav backsweeteners are & quantity used per volume of cider?

As a newbie...I'm gonna attempt my first backsweeting endeavor this week...thinking FAJC & pure maple syrup...

Cheers!

 

[paneubert]

It really depends on what your gravity is and how sweet you want it. I personally like something in the 1.015 to 1.02 range. But for some that is too sweet.

I usually just use fresh juice, or if I need to conserve space, apple juice concentrate. I have done the caramel cider recipe that is popular on here, and that uses some brown sugar reduced in water on the stove.

If you don't want to pasteurize or use sorbate/campden, then something non-fermentable is needed. I have used liquid stevia, which is very potent. Some people do not like the taste of stevia, but personally I think it is the best of the non-fermentable options. It is also natural, a plant extract. So if someone is picky about "chemicals", then stevia is still a valid choice.

 

[Maylar]

Typically FAJC for me, between 1.005 and 1.010 finished. Honey works well too. For non fermentable I use Xylitol, about 3 TBSP per gallon.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

About 1.05 to 1.010 finished for me too. I either backsweeten in the the glass (for bottled cider) or keg - no artificial sweeteners and no sorbate/sulfites. I like to use elderflower or peach iced tea cordial (syrup) for 6%ABV cider. For something a bit different, I sometimes back 'sweeten' with homemade spiced rum* and a touch of sugar syrup (or often without the syrup) - it's quite delicious.

*Homemade spiced rum uses store-bought rum with spices soaked in it. There are great recipes that taste better than commercial spiced rum - spicier and more complex.

 

[bmd2k1]

Typically FAJC for me, between 1.005 and 1.010 finished. Honey works well too. For non fermentable I use Xylitol, about 3 TBSP per gallon.

How much FAJC do you tend to put in per gal?

 

[Maylar]

How much FAJC do you tend to put in per gal?

Depends on the starting point and where I want it to end up, but about 1/2 cup per gallon usually gets me from 1.000 to 1.006-ish. I've also found that sugar levels vary between brands and even from one can to the next. I'll put 2 cups of cider in a mixing cup and add concentrate by the tablespoon until gravity is where I want it, then scale up for the batch.

 

[dmtaylor]

Xylitol only. Or use juice, honey, or other sugars with sorbate.

Stevia and sucralose are horrible.

 

[Roadie]

SWMBO likes her cider sweet. For 5 gallons I think I use 2 cans of FCAJ in the keg.

 

[diyHardCider]

Stevia and sucralose are horrible.

Agreed... just made a test batch with sucralose (Splenda to be specific) and it was not good.... so much terrible aftertaste

 

[diyHardCider]

Xylitol only. Or use juice, honey, or other sugars with sorbate.

I understand the need for sorbate if using real sugars prior to bottling (and expecting sweetness)... but what about sweetening with real sugar (juice/honey/etc) just prior to drinking... I don't see that mentioned as an option for sweetening. So... ferment to dry, back-sweeten with FAJC (to carbonate), bottle... then add some more FAJC to each serving just prior to drinking. Annoying to do... but would that work to add sweetness without using sorbate or non-fermentables?

 

[dmtaylor]

I understand the need for sorbate if using real sugars prior to bottling (and expecting sweetness)... but what about sweetening with real sugar (juice/honey/etc) just prior to drinking... I don't see that mentioned as an option for sweetening. So... ferment to dry, back-sweeten with FAJC (to carbonate), bottle... then add some more FAJC to each serving just prior to drinking. Annoying to do... but would that work to add sweetness without using sorbate or non-fermentables?

That will work wonderfully actually.

 

[MarkKF]

I’ve seen it mentioned many times. People add a spoon of FAJC or ice cubes of apple juice at serving.

 

[TandemTails]

In my last few batches I've used a combination of xylitol for sweetening and FAJC for carbonation. I was doing 3 Tbsp of xylitol and 60g of FAJC per gallon at bottling. I'd feel safe upping the FAJC by about 5g for a little higher carb level.

 

[canehdianman]

My ciders are fermented as dry as they will go (~.998 to 1.000)

For sweetening, I'm doing a ketogenic diet (so no digestible sugars) and have a dog around sometimes (so no xylitol).

I've been adding 3 drops of liquid stevia to each pint of cider I drink.

That way if someone wants an unsweetened cider, they can still have it, or they can add another sweetener if they want (I have some sugar, as well as a sugar-free raspberry syrup on hand).