First Cider Need Reassurance

[gmsteve512]

OK, here we go. First cider is in the primary for 10 days now.

5 Gallons fresh pressed unpasteurized cider direct to bucket
1 can frozen juice
2# Dark Brown Sugar
Red Star Champagne Yeast

OG 1.007 FG .999 at 65 degrees

tasted tonite and it tasted pretty dry and bit "wine like"

Would like to sweeten it up w/out boosting an already high alcohol content, also assuming that the "harshness" will mellow with age.

Thanks for the advise

 

[LordHedgie]

How do you sweeten it?
Many folks back sweeten it with Wine Conditioner. Wine Conditioner is a blend of sucrose and sorbic acid. The addition of 2-4 oz. per gallon adds sweetness and prevents renewed fermentation. It can be purchased as any LHBS that caters to wine makers. Others will use Splenda or lactose (other non-fermentable sugars). Germans who prefer it sweet (or Suß as they say) will add a splash of Sprite or 7up to a glass. This is the easiest method as you don't have to make a whole "sweet" batch that way.

(from https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/)

 

[Teromous]

I'm guessing 1.007 is a mis-type and it's supposed to be 1.07? Your cider will get better with age, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. A high alcohol content can seem harsh, just because it has a lot of alcohol in it If you're looking for an alternative to sugar, some people on the forum use artificial sweeteners because they will not restart the fermentation process. Another alternative is that you could add apple concentrate as a back-sweetener. After your cider has aged, boil down some unfermented cider into a concentrate then quickly chill it and add it to your bottling bucket. You can also try using a sauce pan to simmer unfermented cider into a sauce and add that.

 

[gmsteve512]

I'm guessing 1.007 is a mis-type and it's supposed to be 1.07?

That is correct, 1.07