New to this and could use some sound advice...

[New2Brewn]

Okay, I started two batches of Apfelwein 9 days ago. Each had the following and each is in it's own 3 gallon better bottle with a three piece airlock:

Batch #1
2 1/2 Gallons of Tree Top Apple Juice
1 Pound of Dextrose
1 EC-1118 yeast packet

Batch #2
2 1/2 Gallons of Tree Top Apple Cider
1 Pound of Light Brown Sugar
1 EC-1118 yeast packet
1 Table Spoon of Cinnamon

Both batches took off right away (within 24 hours the air locks were bubbling once a minute)

Now after 9 days the dextrose batch is down to more than a minute between bubbles. The brown sugar batch is still going pretty strong (about every 15-20 seconds). The dextrose batch also has a pretty good layer of white powder on the bottom of the bottle (which I am thinking is the dead yeast).

From what I have seen on here this will come out very dry and I am wanting to sweeten it and add more apple flavor to it. At this point would it be okay to rack the dextrose batch to a secondary and then add potassium sorbate and then add apple concentrates to it?

If so, how long should I wait after adding the potassium sorbate before adding the concentrates?

This being the first time I have every attempted anything like this I am really hoping for at least okay results...

One last question, I am going to use carbtabs to carbonate these in bottles if I add the potassium sorbate will that still work?

Thanks for your reply(s)!!!

 

[HandsomeRyan]

I'm a total noob but based on my understanding of the science involved, the carbtabs will not work to carbonate the beverage because the yeast is all dead from the potassium sorbate.

The carbtabs simply add more sugars that the residual yeast in the drink convert to alcohol giving off additional CO2 that is trapped by the bottles which carbonates the cider.

I'm not sure what the fix for this is but simply adding carb tabs is unlikely to work.

Good luck and happy brewing.

 

[Freezeblade]

just like ryan said, adding the carb tabs after the sorbate will not work, and if the sorbate didn't kill all of them, your yeast will eat all the sugar and you'll have bottle bombs, which I'm sure you don't want. For future reference, if you want a sweeter cider, I wouldn't use a wine yeast, especally 1118, that stuff will take anything bone dry, use an ale yeast, s-04 and nottingham works great.

IMHO the best way to get apple flavor back into your cider is to use ale yeast, don't add sugar, and LET IT AGE. And I mean longer than 4 months.