Bottling/ carbing help

[David_Trucks]

I recently fermented my first batch of cider. I used ale yeast and had the OG of 1.060 come down to 1.002 in a few weeks time. I tried to rack to secondary, but my mini siphon was being difficult and i couldn't rack, so I left it in primary and will try again next week.

I tasted it and it was good, but very tart. I want it to be sweet and carbed- what should I do now? I've read a lot about pasteurizing, but this seems too challenging and unsafe for me. I'm thinking I should add priming sugar like I would for beer and bottle, but then what? Give them a few days to carb, then put them in the fridge to stop potential bombs? Add sugar when serving to sweeten? Somebody lead me in the right direction please.

 

[MarkKF]

The easiest and safest way to make sweet carbed cider is to first add non fermentable sweetener such as xylitol to taste. Then prime and bottle.

 

[flyfishnevada]

My wife can't tolerate artificial sweeteners and I don't like them. I'm planning on sweetening in the glass with honey or simple syrup. Might give back sweetening followed by pasteurization a try some day but for now, I think adding some kind of sugar when drinking is the easiest way to go.

 

[HomebrewSupply]

My wife can't tolerate artificial sweeteners and I don't like them. I'm planning on sweetening in the glass with honey or simple syrup. Might give back sweetening followed by pasteurization a try some day but for now, I think adding some kind of sugar when drinking is the easiest way to go.

Yup. if you don't want to pasteurize and don't want to try artificial sweeteners, that seems to be your best bet. Totally understand not wanting to pasteurize, but it might be worth trying at some point, if you're not satisfied with sweetening when you serve. If you're careful and take the necessary precautions, it can work out very well!

 

[David_Trucks]

I'm tempted to add additional sugar at bottling time (more than for priming), allow a few days to carb, then throw them in the fridge. Is this stupid?

 

[turbos17]

I'm tempted to add additional sugar at bottling time (more than for priming), allow a few days to carb, then throw them in the fridge. Is this stupid?

this is done all the time to make it sparkling. My 4 gallons are almost done and I will be adding sugar to these and possible a touch of cinnamon to a few (experimental). I will hold them over for a week then pop them in fridge for a few days before I start to consume .

 

[turbos17]

I'm tempted to add additional sugar at bottling time (more than for priming), allow a few days to carb, then throw them in the fridge. Is this stupid?

I would do it when you rack to a secondary and then bottle as is. My 4 gallons are almost done and I will be adding sugar to these and possible a touch of cinnamon to a few (experimental). I will hold them over for a week then pop them in fridge for a few days before I start to consume .

 

[turbos17]

I would add the sugar when you rack to a secondary. Let sit for a week then throw them in the fridge. This is done all the time!

 

[David_Trucks]

I would add the sugar when you rack to a secondary. Let sit for a week then throw them in the fridge. This is done all the time!

Confused. Wouldn't the yeast just eat the sugar in secondary, thereby continuing the dryness?

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Confused. Wouldn't the yeast just eat the sugar in secondary, thereby continuing the dryness?

When yeast gets cold enough it will stop eating the sugar leaving the uneaten sugar behind resulting in sweetness. The problem I have with this method is that even a small three-gallon batch gives me ~30 bottles. Not enough fridge room.

What do I do you ask? Fine...I'll tell you.

After four weeks in primary I boil the appropriate amount of priming (table) sugar and let the mixture cool. Then I add the sweetening sugar (Stevia). 5 packs per gallon. I don't boil this because heated up it will taste like Sweet n Low....disgusting. Put the dual sugar/water mixture in the bottling bucket then rack the cider on top. Bottle as usual.

It will continue to be tart for several more months. About the six month mark is where it's at.

 

[turbos17]

Confused. Wouldn't the yeast just eat the sugar in secondary, thereby continuing the dryness?

Sorry I didn't elaborate but yes the yeast that is left will eat the sugar and rise the ABV. Then add a bit of sugar to bottle carbonate. I am experimenting with this now and these levels. Gotta watch for bottle bombs lol!

 

[Maylar]

My wife can't tolerate artificial sweeteners and I don't like them. I'm planning on sweetening in the glass with honey or simple syrup. Might give back sweetening followed by pasteurization a try some day but for now, I think adding some kind of sugar when drinking is the easiest way to go.

Nobody hates artificial sweeteners more than I do - trust me on that. The aftertaste of diet sodas is just gross to me. That said, I will use Xylitol for sweetening. It is an organic sugar alcohol that tastes just like sugar and leaves no aftertaste. 3 TBSP per gallon is enough for semi sweet cider without any bitterness (like Stevia) and no aftertaste. Pick up a small bag and try some in your morning coffee - I'll bet you can't tell the difference.

Some people report sensitivity to it (typically gas), but I've never had anyone complain about my ciders. It's only down side is that it's toxic to dogs - so... don't give your dog any cider

 

[David_Trucks]

Thanks all! I will look for xylitol and, if not available, try the careful approach of additional sugar at bottling.

 

[HomebrewSupply]

Thanks all! I will look for xylitol and, if not available, try the careful approach of additional sugar at bottling.

If you're having a hard time finding it locally, I know Amazon stocks it.

 

[Terek]

you can do it one of two ways, to get a sweet, carbed, cider. First is to camden tablet it when its sweetness is to taste, and force carb it in a keg. Second is to let it ferment dry, then bottle carb as you would a beer. Then take some apple juice and freeze it. Let the concentrate drip out into a mason jar. When you serve your dry, carbed, cider add some of the condenced juice to taste. I like to add a bit of juice, and some wine conditioner. Works well. I do this with a lot of diff, flavors. Try soaking wood chips in some vodka. Put a few drops in at serving to give it a cask aged taste. I do this with vanilla, chocolate, diff. woods, apple juice, spices, pretty much anything you want.

 

[Terek]

Thanks all! I will look for xylitol and, if not available, try the careful approach of additional sugar at bottling.

xylitol tastes like crap. Try the tips i posted above before dumping that crap in an entire batch. You may like it though. My wife and myself, do not.

 

[David_Trucks]

xylitol tastes like crap. Try the tips i posted above before dumping that crap in an entire batch. You may like it though. My wife and myself, do not.

Thanks for the tips. I do not keg, so that is not an option. Maybe I'll play around with different things and see what works best for me. This was supposed to be a experimental first batch, after all. My biggest concern has been sweetening without making bombs. Perhaps I'll stick to beer from here on out. That, I know how to do.

 

[Yooper]

you can do it one of two ways, to get a sweet, carbed, cider. First is to camden tablet it when its sweetness is to taste, and force carb it in a keg. Second is to let it ferment dry, then bottle carb as you would a beer. Then take some apple juice and freeze it. Let the concentrate drip out into a mason jar. When you serve your dry, carbed, cider add some of the condenced juice to taste. I like to add a bit of juice, and some wine conditioner. Works well. I do this with a lot of diff, flavors. Try soaking wood chips in some vodka. Put a few drops in at serving to give it a cask aged taste. I do this with vanilla, chocolate, diff. woods, apple juice, spices, pretty much anything you want.

I just wanted to point out the campden doesn't "do" anything. It won't slow or stop the yeast. It is used as an antioxidant, though, so maybe that's why it's being used in this case. It will NOT kill yeast, so if someone doesn't keep the keg very cold, fermentation will restart.

 

[Terek]

I just wanted to point out the campden doesn't "do" anything. It won't slow or stop the yeast. It is used as an antioxidant, though, so maybe that's why it's being used in this case. It will NOT kill yeast, so if someone doesn't keep the keg very cold, fermentation will restart.

I have been told otherwise. What would you recommend to kill off yeast? What would you use to kill say wild yeast off of some fresh pressed fruit? The LHBS told me to use campden tabs for this, and i would love to know what to use if campden does not work. I keep my product cold, so i never really had a chance to see it re start fermentation, so just assumed it always worked. I always just tab it, then cold crash. Into the bottle, and into the fridge

 

[Yooper]

I have been told otherwise. What would you recommend to kill off yeast? What would you use to kill say wild yeast off of some fresh pressed fruit? The LHBS told me to use campden tabs for this, and i would love to know what to use if campden does not work. I keep my product cold, so i never really had a chance to see it re start fermentation, so just assumed it always worked. I always just tab it, then cold crash. Into the bottle, and into the fridge

Unless you pasteurize, or freeze solid, the yeast will not be killed.

Sorbate is usually used in a clear cider, but it doesn't kill yeast either. It inhibits yeast reproduction, and it works better in the presence of sulfite. So, in a totally clear cider, with no lees (since there is a large quantity of yeast in the lees), you can add sorbate and campden and it probably will inhibit fermentation restarting but it is not guaranteed.

Campden (sulfites) DO work against many wild yeasts (but not all) and most other microbes, but don't kill or harm wine yeast or brewer's yeast.

 

[Terek]

Unless you pasteurize, or freeze solid, the yeast will not be killed.

Sorbate is usually used in a clear cider, but it doesn't kill yeast either. It inhibits yeast reproduction, and it works better in the presence of sulfite. So, in a totally clear cider, with no lees (since there is a large quantity of yeast in the lees), you can add sorbate and campden and it probably will inhibit fermentation restarting but it is not guaranteed.

Campden (sulfites) DO work against many wild yeasts (but not all) and most other microbes, but don't kill or harm wine yeast or brewer's yeast.

very good info. thank you.

 

[PTS_35]

Floppy..so you use stevia? I'm not a big fan of stevia in coffee and teas. Guess I probably wouldn't want it in the cider ?? I'm like to try to stay natural as possible. This has me interested. Also, when you say you get the right amount of priming sugar ready. How do you find that out?? I let my cider go to 1.000 before bottling. I've seen it said 3/4 cups of sugar to 5 gal. Is that right? And is that without pasturizing afterwards? After the two week carbing time?

 

[PTS_35]

I'm also confused abt carbonation. Using the priming calculator for right amount of sugar. So I add the amount suggested by calculator. Then what? Two weeks later it's carbonated. Ok let's say it is. Then I bottle. Do I have to pasturize? Or is the calculator for amount in finished cider to get carbs without pasturizing

 

[Maylar]

The priming sugar calculators are for the carbonation sugar only. Intended to get you there without need of pasteurizing. You add the sugar then bottle. Carbonation won't happen unless the cider is in a sealed pressure tight bottle.

 

[PTS_35]

I have a 5 gal water cooler carboy that I plan to use for carbonation. It has a cap that snaps on pretty tight. I hope pressure doesn't blow it off?? If that won't work bc the cap is too weak, can I mix in the 1 gallon jug then separate into 750ml flip top bottles for carbonation?

 

[Maylar]

Yes. Mix it up first then bottle.

 

[MarkKF]

Don't carbonate in anything other than a keg or bottles with crown cap or flip tops. Growlers and carboys are not designed to hold pressure.