Caramel as a back sweetener?

[lukasbickel]

I've just fermented my cider through and stabilized it and was hoping to use homemade caramel as a back sweetener. Has anyone tried this? And if so, how much should I use for a gallon? Should I let the caramel sit in my carboy for a bit before bottling? And thoughts on adding vanilla extract as well.

 

[jkuhl]

TheBruSho on Youtube did a video talking about this exact thing:

 

[lukasbickel]

Yeah I saw this video but I really want to try the caramel. I know theBruSho said it may be hard for it be incorporated into the cider because of the fat, but I was hoping someone in the brewing as actually tried caramel as a back sweetener. I might just play it safe and use an extract though...

Thanks though!!

 

[lukasbickel]

*brewing world has

 

[doublejef]

I did with a casonade caramel. It was really good.
Caramel isn't fat but indeed not easy to incorporate. I will advice you to make your caramel and the dissolve it into some apple juice or some of your cider (but you will lose alcool doing so) and thne throw it into you fermenteur when it is still verry hot. Then shake stir and bottle. It will be still obviously.
For the quantity, I always think in density, I like my cider around 1010 and 1005, depending on how sweep I want it. In your case, I will definitly go to the sweet side so 1010, maybe 1015 if you really want it sweet.
So if you cider is bone dry ±1000, you can add between 20 and 30g of sugar for each liter and it will give you and FG of 1008 or 1012.
The way you will make you caramel (water quantity, colour,...) won't change the amount of sugar you actually add into you cider. I don't think that caramel give a different sweetness than the sugar you use to do it. Anyone can confirm?

 

[Beermeister32]

I back sweeten with Splenda. It is not fermentable, so you get sweetness without the yeast consuming whatever sugar you add. Sugars usually just dry out the cider unless you have a way of stopping fermentation.

 

[doublejef]

Indeed I didn't specify but I guess when you wrote :

I've just fermented my cider through and stabilized it

You mean that you pasteurized or add SO2 and Kmetha so any sugar added (if clean) won't ferment.

 

[Ty520]

real caramel does indeed contain fat, and might be of concern. It would also probably be a pain in the @$$ to dissolve into it. I would recommend considering backsweetening with something that has a caramel quality to it - I think brown sugar could be quite pleasant, and easy