Recipes for brewing high ABV but diluting back to 5%?

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Are there any recipes for brewing a high ABV cider, such as 15%, but then back sweetening to bring it down to 5%? Maybe apple juice concentrate for primary and then back sweeten with apple juice?

I've played with meads and spices a few times, with little flavor success, so I think I want to stick with the apple side of flavor.

My current batch is 4 gallons of apple juice and 1 gallon of water. But I wonder if I could be more efficient with diluting instead and end up with more cider? Does diluting work that way or am I asking for more unwanted flavors?
 
You could do that. I’d imagine it’ll be more of a challenge to make a 15% cider that tastes good in a reasonable amount of time than to make 2 or 3 5% batches back to back. I really think the yeast management would make a 15% more hassle than it’s worth.
 
Yes it can be done. In fact, some commercial ciders are made that way. Andrew Lea, the famous British cider maker says he toured a very big (unnamed) cider plant in England and they only used 35% apple juice. The rest was water. They added sugar and fermented to 13% ABV then watered it down to 5%. Then added sweeteners and "flavorings" to make it drinkable. Remember the TV adds for Angry Orchard that said each bottle had "the juice of 2 apples"? OK, that's about 6 ounces, so .. what's the other 6 ounces?

Problem is they don't say what the "flavorings" are. Ask Strongbow for their recipe. Good luck with that.
 
My current batch is 4 gallons of apple juice and 1 gallon of water. But I wonder if I could be more efficient with diluting instead and end up with more cider? Does diluting work that way or am I asking for more unwanted flavors?
I’m not sure I understand what you are trying to accomplish. Want more cider? Just make more? Want to use water and sugar to reduce the amount of juice?
Large industrial producers make high ABV beer and cider and then dilute the product so they can achieve more volume without adding additional fermenters, but I really don’t see any advantage for the home brewer to do that. For me, the biggest challenge when making cider is getting the apples I want.
 
Yes it can be done. In fact, some commercial ciders are made that way. Andrew Lea, the famous British cider maker says he toured a very big (unnamed) cider plant in England and they only used 35% apple juice. The rest was water. They added sugar and fermented to 13% ABV then watered it down to 5%. Then added sweeteners and "flavorings" to make it drinkable. Remember the TV adds for Angry Orchard that said each bottle had "the juice of 2 apples"? OK, that's about 6 ounces, so .. what's the other 6 ounces?

Problem is they don't say what the "flavorings" are. Ask Strongbow for their recipe. Good luck with that.
This isn't cider anymore..... It's apple flavoured fermented sugar water.
 
And yet they're rather successful at it. The Bulmer's Strongbow vat is the largest alcoholic vat in the world, at 1.5 million gallons. 🧐
Wow, unbeliveable.

...but on the other hand, people also buy coca cola and similar fizzy "drinks", so actually not such a big surprise.
 
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