What sugar/additive can I add before fermenting to maintain sweetness in a cider? I'd rather not back sweeten if I don't have to. Does anyone know what's in the "sweetener sachet" from the Brewer's Best - Cider House Select kits?
Maintain Sweetness in cider
- Thread starter kegtoe
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bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
Any sugar that is in the must before you pitch the yeast will be food for the yeast. The yeast will not view any simple sugar as off limits. If the sugar is present it is food.
You have three options.
1. You use a yeast that cannot tolerate the total potential alcoholic volume of your cider - so it croaks before all the sugar has been fermented.
2. You can bottle the cider while the active yeast still have sugar to consume and then quickly kill them by heating the cider - and potentially blow up the bottles and so risk flying shards of glass...
3. You can work to ensure that the cider you are fermenting does not have enough nutrient in the must (this is called keeving) and so the yeast die not from alcohol poisoning but because they cannot repair their own cells and cannot reproduce (bud).
You have three options.
1. You use a yeast that cannot tolerate the total potential alcoholic volume of your cider - so it croaks before all the sugar has been fermented.
2. You can bottle the cider while the active yeast still have sugar to consume and then quickly kill them by heating the cider - and potentially blow up the bottles and so risk flying shards of glass...
3. You can work to ensure that the cider you are fermenting does not have enough nutrient in the must (this is called keeving) and so the yeast die not from alcohol poisoning but because they cannot repair their own cells and cannot reproduce (bud).
MindenMan
Well-Known Member
b_s, there are many people that successfully bottle pasteurize their ciders without bottle bombs. But, #1 and #3 are viable options.
You can't sweeten cider before fermenting. Adding any fermentable sugar just adds to the ABV.
My methods have been to either add Xylitol at bottling time, or add FAJC and cold crash when carbonated to my liking.
I like to ferment my cider dry, then add honey or cane sugar in the glass. That way, you can enjoy it dry or sweet.
I read somewhere that you can back sweeten by adding a small amount of conditioning sugars(.25-.5 oz per gallon) after fermentation, and then add in another half gallon to a gallon of cider, and bottling immediately. Replacing the sweetness and giving it a small amount of carbonation.... Does anyone else have a thought on that?. I'm planning on doing that with a pumpkin cider I have that is finishing fermenting now.
Yes- but you have to pasteurize once it's carbed up (or keep the bottles very very cold) or they will explode since the fresh cider will keep fermenting.
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I have done some ciders with the WLP775 English Cider and it has Attenuation >80%, my ciders have come out a nice tarty bite that I like but I think I am going to try a batch using the half bottle of WLP002 English Ale I have, which has Attenuation 63-70% and Flocculation that is very high as that should leave some sweetness and help with the clearing of cider. I really hate adding anything to my cider to try to fix the flavor. I like my ingredients to be cider and yeast.
But since the sugars in cider are fully fermentable, those apparent attenuation rates don't apply. Simple sugars (sucrose, fructose, dextrose) ferment out, unlike with beer where there are some residual sugars left behind like maltriose.
How would you go about moisturizing once it's carbed? Would campden tablets atop the carbonation?
How would you go about moisturizing once it's carbed? Would campden tablets stop the carbonation? I guess I'll have to Do some research on that one
hahaha- you have auto correct I see!
No, you'd have to bottle pasteurize to get a sweet and carbonated cider (see the sticky in this forum on how to do that), if you're not kegging.
Thanks for the heads up. I am still going to use the yeast and see how it comes out. That is the great thing about doing 1 gallon test brews to see how different yeast and brands of cider turn out.
OP
OP
LOL, looking for something unfermentable.
OP
OP
I think I might take a page from wine making. Make sure all the yeast are killed after fermentation and sweeten with "Conditioner" I made a Cider House Rules kit that was extremely close to a commercial cider. Curious what was in their Sweetener Sachet. That was added pre fermenting ( I only added 1/3 packet).
I've used XyloSweet, which is Xylitol. You can find it in any health food isle or vitamin shoppe. Despite its chemical sounding name, Xylitol is an organic sugar alcohol that tastes like sugar and leaves no aftertaste.
Sweetening should always be done at the end, at bottling time.
I've picked up some Xylitol to try. Got it at bulk barn, and it's supposedly a 1-1 replacement for table sugar. Unfortunately it's $8 per pound.
The company that makes the stuff I picked up says that all of their xylitol is made from Canadian Hardwood sources.
in other locations it may be made with GMO corn cellulose, not that I care.
The company that makes the stuff I picked up says that all of their xylitol is made from Canadian Hardwood sources.
in other locations it may be made with GMO corn cellulose, not that I care.
MindenMan
Well-Known Member
There are many non-fermentable sweeteners available; I generally use a blend. There are times in my house where we go super low carb for 2 or 3 months, and in order for some low carb desserts to not "taste funny", we blend different sweeteners. I use generic Splenda 90% of the time for both beverages and baked goods. My favorite for cider is a blend of Equal and Splenda. I hope everyone here had a great day with their family this week, and may the New Year be a blessing to all.
Yeah it's expensive. Even on Amazon it's $6 per pound. Fortunately, about 3 TBSP per gallon at bottling time is all I need to take the dryness out of cider. This is the brand that I use -
http://www.amazon.com/Xlear-1-lb-Xylosweet-1-Pound/dp/B000ORXYYS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1417296238&sr=8-4&keywords=xylo-sweet
I guess it can be made from Birch trees or corn cobs. Try some in your coffee or tea first.
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