Finishing my first cider

[LewisZ7Hunter]

So I am getting ready to finish my first cider, and want to make sure I get the steps right, and in the right order, so I was looking for some input.

I have 5 gallons of cider that is ready to keg from a carboy, I would like to clear it and sweeten it, so my thought process on the order of events is as follows: (please correct me if I'm wrong)

1. add metabisulfite (wait 24 hours)
2. add Super Kleer (Wait the 12 + hours for it to clear)
3. Keg
4. add inverted sugar and concentrated cider to taste.

 

[bernardsmith]

I don't keg or use "Super Kleer" so I cannot speak to those steps but if I want to backsweeten a wine or a cider I want to add both K-meta and K-sorbate (see #1) but before I add those two stabilizers in tandem I want to be pretty confident that there are very few - VERY FEW - yeast cells still in the liquor. An active colony can overpower the stabilizers and will continue to plow through any added sugars.
The need to clear a cider chemically suggests that either fruit pectins have set (worse case) or are simply present. To solve the first case don't heat apple juice. To solve the second add pectic enzymes 12 hours before you pitch the yeast. OR - there is CO2 suspended in the cider that is preventing fruit particulates from dropping out of suspension. The solution to that issue is either to allow the cider to age or if you need the cider right now you may want to degas it. Degassing can be achieved by whipping the cider; by pulling a vacuum through the cider (about 23 inches) or by repeatedly racking the cider and allowing the liquor to run down the inner wall of the target carboy.

 

[Maylar]

I used Super Kleer once in a mead and was very unhappy. It left a nasty medicinal taste that took about 2 weeks to drop out. The mead cleared nicely in just a couple days but what's the point of that if you gotta wait for the stuff to clear itself? I know a lot of people use it and some love it but I'll never use it again.

 

[WarEagleBrewer]

If you are kegging it and (assuming)chilling to refrigerator temps, why are you bothering with the stabilizers?

 

[LewisZ7Hunter]

If you are kegging it and (assuming)chilling to refrigerator temps, why are you bothering with the stabilizers?

I thought I needed to since I wanted to sweeten it. Is that not the case?

 

[Yooper]

I thought I needed to since I wanted to sweeten it. Is that not the case?

If you're keeping it very cold (under 40 degrees) the entire time, you may be able to get by without sorbate but that's iffy. It might work.

If it's not clear, I'd probably clear it first either by waiting or finings and THEN decide to keg. I wouldn't stabilize it first- that should be the last thing you do before sweetening.