Cider Sweetness

[brokenseeker]

So how do you make sure the cider is sweet? Not fermenting all of the sugar and still being able to prime?

 

[homebrewer_99]

Use a sweet wine yeast. Champagne yeasts produce a dry finish.

 

[jameswardpeterson]

what also apparently works is a sweet mead yeast, I plan to use white labs sweet mead yeast on my new batch of cider.

 

[StarsNBars8]

What if you've already pitched the yeast and your just sitting around, waiting, and it's slowly losing it's sweetness (and gratefully obtaining more alcohol content)...

 

[jameswardpeterson]

What if you've already pitched the yeast and your just sitting around, waiting, and it's slowly losing it's sweetness (and gratefully obtaining more alcohol content)...

Then your going to have to stabilize and backsweeten once the fermentation is done. stabilization is done with small ammounts of pottassium sorbate. also, you can sweeten with non fermentable sugars like lactose (your LHBS) and splenda (grocery store.) and not have to stabilize while doing that

 

[bkvail]

OK, I have read several ways to stabilize to backsweeten now - another post I read said to use 1/2tsp. k-sorbate and 1 crushed campden tab per gallon to stabilize and backsweeten after a couple days, then wait for a few days to bottle.....

do I use k-sorbate/campden or potassium sorbate to stabilize before backsweetening? I'm confused!

 

[MikeInCtown]

The campden won't kill the yeast, but the potassium sorbate will. If you add the potssium sorbate, make sure the FG is where you want it. Once you add the PS you should be able to sweeten to your likeness using regular cane sugar. Domino brand is normally labeled pure cane sugar while the WalMart brand is actually beet sugar for example. Make sure you read what it is made from.

 

[Pogo]

K is the chemical symbol for potassium, thus K - sorbate = potassium sorbate.

When typing, it is easier to type a K, than it is to type potassium...which explains why both are frequently used.

Potassium metabisulfite is the powdered equivalent of Campden Tablets.

Neither of these two, either alone, or in combination, will kill the yeast.

They just inhibit the yeast from reproducing.

Pogo

 

[esarkipato]

Neither of these two, either alone, or in combination, will kill the yeast.

They just inhibit the yeast from reproducing.

Pogo

Sorry if I'm hijacking....

Is this why my pomegranate wine (FG 0.998) continues to bubble (really slowly) even a week after I added K Sorb and Campden?

 

[Yooper]

Sorry if I'm hijacking....

Is this why my pomegranate wine (FG 0.998) continues to bubble (really slowly) even a week after I added K Sorb and Campden?

Maybe, maybe not. If it was finished (and at .998, it may or may not be) it's not going to keep fermenting- but the bubbling can be simply co2 coming out of the wine.

If it wasn't quite finished, it'll ferment until the yeast finally die, or until it's finished. As it was stated, the yeast can no longer reproduce, but the yeast in there can still work. It's always best to rack off of the yeast cake when it's finished, and then add the stabilizers.

 

[conpewter]

If you are wanting to bottle condition this you'll need to add a non-fermentable sugar (like lactose or splenda mentioned before) since you'll still need the yeast and priming sugar to get carbonation.

 

[homebrewer_99]

After using the K-S give it a taste.

If it is too musty or off a bit I usually add 1 can of frozen concentrate and stir it in. Don't add any water. This really gives it an appley punch.

 

[Ucdengboss]

I have 6 gallons that will finish dry and I want to try half sweet and half dry but all of it carbed. My plan was to prepare priming sugar and rack/bottle 3 gal like I do any brew. For the last 3 gallons I was then going to add 4oz of lactose with the priming sugar in 4 cups of boiling water to go into the bottling bucket. Rack the last 3 gallons into the bucket and bottle. I don't want to over carb or make bottle bombs so is lactose 99%+ unfermentable? Is there a better or easier way to do this? Is 4oz of lactose for 3 gals too much, too little, or OK. Thanks.

 

[esarkipato]

I have 6 gallons that will finish dry and I want to try half sweet and half dry but all of it carbed. My plan was to prepare priming sugar and rack/bottle 3 gal like I do any brew. For the last 3 gallons I was then going to add 4oz of lactose with the priming sugar in 4 cups of boiling water to go into the bottling bucket. Rack the last 3 gallons into the bucket and bottle. I don't want to over carb or make bottle bombs so is lactose 99%+ unfermentable? Is there a better or easier way to do this? Is 4oz of lactose for 3 gals too much, too little, or OK. Thanks.

For the sparkling batch, you will have to use lactose to sweeten in addition to adding the priming sugar. I added 16 oz of lactose to 6 gallons of cider before I caught a noticeable sweetness.

It's a matter of personal preference what you use to sweeten up the still batch. I don't mind lactose, but would much prefer corn sugar or honey. Lactose just has that "feel" to it.

If I were you, and I have been in your shoes ... and made mistakes while in them ... I'd rack the "still" 3 gallons onto 3 campden tablets and 1.5 tspn of potassium sorbate. Leave this for a week, which will "freeze" whatever yeast are left. Then add sugar (corn sugar, honey, other sweetener) to backsweeten to taste. Now leave for another week to make sure the yeast aren't active. If no more bubbles, and if it tastes good, then bottle.

If you've never tried lactose, splenda, etc.... I'd suggest doing a test run with each...just scale it down to a cup or a pint and see if you enjoy the taste.