Brewing a hard cherry, when to bottle?

[SaltCity]

I started a gallon of hard cherry about a week ago and tasted it today it has a really nice taste and a desirable amount of carbonation. If I wait too long will the carbonation fade as well as the taste drying out or can I bottle it now to keep it in Its current state. I have very little brewing experience only having completed a batch of hard apple that I was not too impressed with I waited 22 days to get it into the bottles and it turned out dry and not at all carbonated. Any help would be appreciated also any suggestions for a good book for beer brewing would also be helpful.
Thanks

 

[Teromous]

- Let it dry out completely
- Use a Priming Sugar Calculator
- Add the amount of sugar to the hard cherry and immediately bottle it
- Let it sit for about a month at a good warm temp (65-75F)

For books
How to Brew - You can read it online and purchase it if you like
The Complete Joy of Brewing - Good book
Homebrewing for Dummies - I really like this book. It's easy to follow, really simple layout. I guess you could say it's more "fun" to read.

 

[rocketsan]

What is hard cherry?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

ferment it dry as you did with your cider. if you want it sweet and carbonated you'll need to use unfermentable (artificial) sweetener to taste and also use fermentable (cane,corn,etc) sweetener to restart fermentation inside the bottles, which will carbonate your wine. If you want it dry and carbonated just add the fermentable sweetener for carbonation.

 

[SaltCity]

Thanks for the help I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners I wish there was another way, looking forward to start brewing in the spring when I can round up all of the supplies

 

[TopherM]

You can pastuerize, but it's kinda an educated guess as to when the bottles are well carbed but still have residual sweetness.

It's simple if you keg...you just chill to serving temps and back sweeten with sweet juice.

 

[helibrewer]

Thanks for the help I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners I wish there was another way, looking forward to start brewing in the spring when I can round up all of the supplies

The most practical way to have sweet cider with carbonation is to keg it. Use Potassium Sorbate (Sorbistat K) and Potassium Metabisulfate (Kmeta) to prevent fermentation, back sweeten with juice or sugar, keg to carbonate.