Cherry Apple Cider

[BakingGirl]

I'm getting ready to start my second batch of cider. I got a kit for Christmas and did my first batch shortly after, following the directions from the kit with the yeast it came with and a bottle of apple cider for the grocery store. It came out dry, which isn't my favorite, but it was still good. For this next batch, my "soft" cider is a gallon of cherry apple cider from an orchard in Georgia, so it's pre-mixed. I'm worried it won't be sweet enough after fermentation. I know adding sugar or honey at the beginning would increase the ABV, which is fine, but I'm really looking for a way to sweeten the cider, and I would really like to avoid the non-fermentable artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharine. I'm also looking for an option for a sweet, carbonated cider without using a keg system. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[compumasta]

Well, I'm far from an expert but I would say you might need to look into the pasteurization sticky for how to get some carbed bottled cider. As far as sugar, the hydrometer reading at the beginning will help with calculating your ABV, but if you want to sweeten it, you may need some wine conditioner, brown sugar, and/or some frozen concentrate. I would assume that the cider will be very dry and not super fruity to begin with, so if you want to maintain a particular cherry apple flavor, the concentrates may be your best bet. But you will need to pasteurize if you dont want bottle bombs.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[DaMonkey]

Based on what you said your only option is to pasteurize half way through priming. You have no other option. There are many ways to do it and it seems like most people mess it up. You have to pasteurize at a particular time. Look at the sticky like compumasta said.

 

[sboyajian]

The only way you can have sweet carbonated cider without a kegging system and without pasteurizing, to my knowledge, would be to use non fermentables such as xylitol, splenda, stevia, etc. I suppose you could use lactose, but I'm not sure if that is going to give you the mouth feel you want.

Cider is going to ferment out because the sugars are completely fermentable. It's going to be dry, regardless of the yeast you use, unless it has non-fermentables in it.

You could pasteurize, as people have mentioned, however I'm pretty sure that would mean you are stuck with still cider. After my last batch fermented out, I added sorbate and metabisulfate to halt and prevent refermentation, then backsweetened with 3 cans of cherry apple concentrate (5 gallon batch). I did keg it though, so your mileage may vary.

 

[DaMonkey]

You could pasteurize, as people have mentioned, however I'm pretty sure that would mean you are stuck with still cider.

It depends when you do it.

Make cider completely dry, age 2 weeks off lees, add priming and sweetening sugar, bottle (bottle 1 plastic bottle so you can check pressure), once pressure is right you pasteurize. This kills the yeast and leaves sugar in the liquid as long as you used enough sugar to start. But this is a high risk of bottle bombs.

 

[sboyajian]

Fair enough. Always wondered how that worked..

 

[BakingGirl]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! Unfortunately, I found out the cider I was going to use contains sodium benzoate! I'm so disappointed, but I guess you live and learn? Guess I'll be making a trip to the store, going to try another recipe I saw on here for Cherry/Apple cider.

 

[sboyajian]

Well, I guess it's time to pour in a bottle of cherry flavored vodka

 

[MindenMan]

I am currently working on a cherry-apple cider right now. I usually start with apple juice/cider, and add cherry flavor with some type of concentrate. This time, I added 3 cans of apple-cherry concentrate to 96oz of water, making a slightly higher O.G. than "normal". After fermentation is done, I will pour out 12oz to bottle and stash away, and add another 12oz can of apple-cherry concentrate back to the gallon and wait until it ferments out. I will do this two more times giving me the equivalent of a 1.120 O.G., and yes, it is going to be applejack. When I add the last can of a-c concentrate, I will taste it everyday, and when there is only a slight amount of sweetness left, into to the freezer it goes. I really have no idea if it will even taste like cherries at all, but for $7.62 I won't be broken-hearted about it if it doesn't.

EDIT: I got off on a rant, sorry. Making a sweet, fizzy cider using all fermentable sweeteners really isn't difficult; you must be okay with bottle pasteurizing. I have done it and it was no big deal, the first time I set my dishwasher on sanitary with steam, and the only bottle that blew was in the dishwasher. It was most likely a faulty bottle since there was only one blowout. Since I can still hear some of the glass in my dishwasher when the pump is on, no more dishwasher for me. I suggest you get a big pot, put a layer of towel or a rack on the bottom to keep the bottles from direct contact with the heat, add bottles and top up with tepid water. Gently raise the water temperature to 140*F, and hold for thirty minutes. I do suggest you add a dummy bottle to be able to check the temperature inside the bottle to make sure they get to at least 140*F for 30 minutes. If the bottles get to 160*F plus, no problem, the cider won't cloud, and, your pasteurizing time will be reduced. Did I answer the question this time?