Cider a little sour. I think???

[fettersp]

I have a cider the I believe has finished fermenting. The og was 1.06 and the current gravity is 1.000. I am going to check the gravity again in 3 days to make sure it is done. I used 5 gal of apple juice, yeast nutrients and a little honey to bump the gravity and used s04 yeast. I started it 2 weeks ago and tasted it when checking the gravity ut tastes good with a tiny bit of sweetness but a little sour after taste. Will aging it help the sourness to go away? I also plan to backsweeten with artificial sweetner(just a tiny bit).
I plan on bottling starting the 3rd week of feb so it will be ready for a party on march 6th. Other than the little aftertaste it's amazing. First brew btw.

 

[JimRausch]

Welcome!
With ciders, all the sugars are simple and totally fermented out leaving the acids naturally present as the predominant flavor. If you don't like it that dry, then backsweetening is the way to go. A little sweetness adds back the apple flavor. You can use artificial sweetners if you want it still. Or add sugar and get some carbonation. A lot of us use frozen apple juice concentrate, which works real well. 1 can per 5G will give you a little apple flavor and about the right amount of carbonation. Use two cans, and you'll get more flavor and sweetness, but will have to pasteurize the bottles when the carbonation level is right. There are threads for stove top and cooler pasteurization methods in this area of the forum.

 

[fettersp]

Would using artificial sweetener and a priming solution be a viable option for carbonation and sweetness? I want to keep it simple

 

[JimRausch]

Would using artificial sweetener and a priming solution be a viable option for carbonation and sweetness? I want to keep it simple

Yes.

 

[fettersp]

One last thing is the cider ready to be bottled
Or is it better to age a little while before?

 

[JimRausch]

One last thing is the cider ready to be bottled
Or is it better to age a little while before?

If it has a stable SG (The 3 day-later check will tell you that), and is as clear as you want it to be, then OK to bottle.

 

[fettersp]

How much splenda would you reccomend for 5 gals? My sg is stable at 1.000. The cider is a little tart/sour. I dont want sweet sweet I just want to bring out that apple flavor more

 

[JimRausch]

How much splenda would you reccomend for 5 gals? My sg is stable at 1.000. The cider is a little tart/sour. I dont want sweet sweet I just want to bring out that apple flavor more

I'm afraid I can't answer that because everyone's tastes and expectations are different.
The best way is to experiment: you make up a solution with a known amount of sweetner and water. Set out 1 oz. samples of the cider and add increasing amounts of the solution until it tastes the way you want. Then do the math to figure out how much to add to the full batch.
If you're math-challenged, or that seems like too much of a chore, then wing it and adjust the next batch. Ballpark place to start would be 1/4 cup per 5 gallon batch. Better to start low and add more than to overdo it.