How to stop cider fermentation?

[sbanach]

Ok here is my dilemma. I made several cider batches and cold crashed at the desired FG, sometimes back sweetened, kegged, and served.

This time I want to bottle 10 gallons of cider in wine bottles. What would be the best way to achieve this? I want the abv to be around 8% semi sweet and no bottle bombs as these will be Christmas gifts. Any help will be much appreciated!!

 

[ACbrewer]

two methods -
1. put about the right amount of sugars to get a 8% abv, chill (if possible) but rack off the yeast a few times to remove as much as possilbe. At the last racking, add K-meta and Campden tablets to stablize, then back sweeten.
2. heat pasturize when you are at desired ABV. see this thread for someone who does it with carbonated cider. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/
and well 3. some combination of both.

 

[Yooper]

two methods -
1. put about the right amount of sugars to get a 8% abv, chill (if possible) but rack off the yeast a few times to remove as much as possilbe. At the last racking, add K-meta and Campden tablets to stablize, then back sweeten.
2. heat pasturize when you are at desired ABV. see this thread for someone who does it with carbonated cider. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/
and well 3. some combination of both.

Well, I feel that I have to say something about #1. That is that campden tablets and k-meta are the exact same thing, so make sure you don't add both! The things you'd add are sorbate and campden (k-meta) in combination. It works pretty well for still ciders, but it must be completely finished fermenting and totally clear or it will be ineffective.

 

[ACbrewer]

Doh. I meant sorbate. Thanks Yooper. Honestly I expected the comment to be that you can't chemically stop fermentation. And that it should be fermented to dry and chemically stablized and then back sweetened

 

[sbanach]

Thanks, guys! I did a batch last night with 4 gallons of apple cider, 4 pounds of brown sugar with an OG of 1.08. Any idea what to final gravity will be when it ferments completely using Nottingham yeast?

 

[ACbrewer]

Not really, I mean cider andsugar are 100% fermentable, and beer yeast packets are notorous for not listing the tollerance of yeast, but listing the attenuation. However, most yeast seems to go at least 10 to12% from what I've seen in my reading. (Some wine yeast goes 18% and there is a 27 to 30% high value yeasts listed at some of the sellers).

But back to your question. My guess is you are looking at FG of .990 to .995 This should give you an ABV around 11% Then you could degas and clear it. Stablize (or pasturize) and sweeten it.