Kegged Cider- 1st Sample Sweet, Now Tastes Dry?

[BiscuitPower]

Hello All! This is about my 7th batch of cider. OG 1.086 FG 1.032. I like my ciders sweet and normally bottle 'em when they're around 1.030, but this is my first time kegging cider. After about a month in the corny I went ahead and bottled it to make room for a mead. Now, I had only had a sampling here and there, but it tasted pretty sweet. Naturally, when bottling I poured myself a pint. Before I was done, I poured a bit more in my glass (mason jar) for another sampling. This time it tasted considerably dryer. Just to be sure I wasn't imagining things, I had my lady friend give it a taste and she agreed- not nearly as sweet.

Do folks normally swish around the corny before bottling sweet brews (meads, ciders, whatnot)? Otherwise, any thoughts as to whats going on here?

Thank you cider guru's for your forthcoming knowledge!

 

[BiscuitPower]

bump^^^

 

[joeybeer]

Hmm.. Mine have always been dry, what was your recipe ??
I'm going to make a couple of gallons this week with US04 and try to drop the yeast out with cold temps at 1.020 ..

 

[Jrod]

What yeast did you use and did you add any preservatives?

 

[Kloon]

Did you stop fermentation with anything? If you do not stop fermentation it will continue to ferment in the keg.

 

[BiscuitPower]

Thanks, guys. Maybe I should've explained a bit better. I cold crash at around 1.030. If I let the nottingham finish it's about 1.012. No preservatives and the keg has been sitting in the keezer- so no chance of the yeast kickin' back up. The problem isn't so much that the cider tasted sweet when I first kegged it, and now it's dry. Literally while I was bottling I had sampled it before bottle #1 and after bottle #24- sweet then dryer.

The only thing I can think of is that the sugars are settling out. Does that even happen? Thanks again!

 

[roadymi]

Did you rack immediately before bottling? if not Your cider may have been stratified......sweeter on the bottomm, dryer on top. You should give a gentle stir before bottling to assure uniformity. If you did rack or stir............than i got nuthin.

 

[BiscuitPower]

Hmmm, no racking. Just bottled straight from the keg. Stratified? Glad to know I'm not going crazy, but this is the first I've heard of this. Does that go for bottling anything from a keg (meads, ciders, imperial beers)? Well, in any case I'll definitely give it a good swishing next time. Thanks!

 

[roadymi]

I have a braggot that has been in secondary about 3 weeks now. I'm not sure what the flavor profile would be but there are 2 distinct color layers.

I wouldn't "swish" enough to aerate but I would give a gentle stir. I normally rack off of the lees, allow a day or so to settle then bottle. Not the right way probably but it works for me.