Dry cider taste and sweetening

[derekc153]

I am about to brew my first batch of cider (or anything) ever, and a dry cider definitely sounds like the easiest to start with (though I may try carbonating some of it). The way people talk about it has me wondering what it will taste like though. I've bought lots of Hornsby's at the store and always got the Amber Draft variety, which says "traditional and dry", though I actually think it has plenty of sweetness. Is this what my cider will taste like if I make it "dry", or do commercial ciders often add sweetener despite advertising as dry?

Also, if I want a sweet cider with a decent abv, can I just use an ale yeast that will max-out around 7 or 8% and prime with enough sugar that there will be some remaining when the yeast die from the alcohol? It will have to be a still sweet cider, of course, but is there anything wrong with that method?

Thanks!

 

[onthekeg]

I have made a few hard ciders, but if carbonated I force carbed them. I didn't want bottle bombs down the road. I have used Montrachet and 1118 as well as s-04. They were all pretty much the same.
I added sulfite to kill the yeast and sweetened in the keg as I force carbed. The dry cider tastes like a white wine.

 

[derekc153]

Isn't Montrachet a wine yeast? Could that be why it tasted the way it did, and would it be different with an ale yeast like Nottingham?

 

[Pumbaa]

if ya dont want your cider too dry start out using cider yeast wyeast 4766 or whitelabs 775 then change your yeast from there to your tastes. If it's too sweet get a yeast that will dry it out more, if it's too dray monitor your fermentation and stop is earlier . . .