High Gravity/My First Cider! Hi homebrewtalk!

[VincentVega]

Hello all, I'm new here. So I started a batch of cider on 8/07/12.

4 gallons apple juice
4lbs (yes, 4 pounds - which i've now learned is a lot) of brown sugar
Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast
OG 1.092

I realized this would end up being a wine if let fully ferment down to about .990 around 13% ABV. So today, I took a reading and it was about 1.020. I decided to rack into secondary a little early and did so at this point. I also added K-meta and K-Sorbate in an attempt to kill the yeast early and end fermentation so I have residual sugar and still a delicious sweet taste. I am not carbonating this batch. It still seems to be fermenting, there's CO2 already built up in secondary even though I added a nice dose of K-meta and K-Sorbate, and the airlock bubbles when I very gently apply slight pressure on the bucket's lid.

My question is, what are your thoughts? What should I do better on my next batch? And when I sweeten this, should I add more juice or just the extra pound of brown sugar I have in my pantry?

 

[VincentVega]

shameless bump.

 

[phatspade]

Give it some time for responses bub.

I too started my first batch of cider last week. I don't have much of an answer to your questions, but you could've let the cider ferment longer and back sweeten. Now this is just a suggestion. I prefer sparkling dry cider so I'm waiting for my batch to finish and Carb it with more brown sugar.

I used 3lb of sugar and safale-05 so I wont have a very dry cider. Supposedly it gives a slight sweetness from what I was told.

Idk why the Meta didnt kill yeast other than you didn't use enough? I don't think I'm gonna go that route so I never read into it.

 

[CollegeCider]

You could try bottle pasteurizing it. There is a good sticky about that on the cider page. Should kill the yeast pretty well

 

[VincentVega]

Give it some time for responses bub.

I too started my first batch of cider last week. I don't have much of an answer to your questions, but you could've let the cider ferment longer and back sweeten. Now this is just a suggestion. I prefer sparkling dry cider so I'm waiting for my batch to finish and Carb it with more brown sugar.

I used 3lb of sugar and safale-05 so I wont have a very dry cider. Supposedly it gives a slight sweetness from what I was told.

Idk why the Meta didnt kill yeast other than you didn't use enough? I don't think I'm gonna go that route so I never read into it.

The meta seems to have done it by now. There's just CO2 trapped in the bucket i think. I went and bought a can of cranberry/raspberry concentrate and 2 cans of apple juice concentrate. I'll thaw tomorrow, add to the mix, and then bottle!