Stevia Instead of Sugar?

[jonereb]

Has anyone used Stevia instead of sugar to back sweeten wine? How did i turn out? Affect taste? I've come to like Halo Top ice cream which uses stevia, so I'm curious.

 

[lukebuz]

it's got an "off taste", but for being sugar free, it's not too bad. I used pure extract (from Amazon). Less filler that way.

 

[jonereb]

I have two 1-gallon carboys of red muscadine wine and one 1-gallon carboy of plum wine that are almost ready to back sweeten. I'm going for a semi-sweet wine, so I'll probably add 3/4 cup of sugar to each gallon. If I decide to use Stevia instead of sugar, how much Stevia should I add to each gallon? (I'll buy Stevia at my local Kroger grocery store, if that matters.)

 

[Morrey]

I use xylitol to back sweeten cider and it tastes pretty darn good to me unlike most other artificial sweeteners. I bought some on Amazon to try and ended up ordering more to use in coffee, etc. Yeast doesn't see xylitol as a food source so you can use it at any stage of fermentation although I use it to adjust sweetness when kegging my ciders.

 

[Maylar]

I'm a Xylitol fan too. I hate the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners. Xylitol has none, it's pretty much just like sugar. I use about 3 TBSP per gallon for semi-sweet. It's very toxic to dogs however, so if that's an issue for you find something else.

 

[hagar]

I use xylitol to back sweeten cider and it tastes pretty darn good to me unlike most other artificial sweeteners. I bought some on Amazon to try and ended up ordering more to use in coffee, etc. Yeast doesn't see xylitol as a food source so you can use it at any stage of fermentation although I use it to adjust sweetness when kegging my ciders.

I've always wondered if Xylitol produces the same "unpleasant" side effects as other sugar alcohols. I have to say I and a coworker of mine learned to respect them after splitting a bag of sugar free chocolate one day. Half sick days for both of us.

Now, heaven knows, I'd never drink to excess! But I'm interested to know what your experiences along those lines have been.

 

[Maylar]

According to Google -

Xylitol is generally well tolerated, but some people do get digestive side effects when they consume too much. The sugar alcohols can pull water into the intestine or get fermented by gut bacteria. This can lead to gas, bloating and diarrhea. However, the body seems to adjust very well to xylitol.

With the small amount that I use, nobody has had any issues even with ummm.. more than one pint of cider.

 

[jonereb]

Okay, but back to my stevia question. If I use a little less than one teaspoon of stevia Reb-A per gallon would this result in semi-sweet? I'm reading that 1 teaspoon of stevia Reb-A equals one cup of sugar.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

it's got an "off taste", but for being sugar free, it's not too bad. I used pure extract (from Amazon). Less filler that way.

It has an "off taste" straight from the plant.

 

[Maylar]

Okay, but back to my stevia question. If I use a little less than one teaspoon of stevia Reb-A per gallon would this result in semi-sweet? I'm reading that 1 teaspoon of stevia Reb-A equals one cup of sugar.

I've never used Stevia, but a cup of sugar in one gallon would be very sweet.

 

[Morrey]

I've always wondered if Xylitol produces the same "unpleasant" side effects as other sugar alcohols. I have to say I and a coworker of mine learned to respect them after splitting a bag of sugar free chocolate one day. Half sick days for both of us.

Now, heaven knows, I'd never drink to excess! But I'm interested to know what your experiences along those lines have been.

Personally, I have seen no side effects from the Xylitol I use to back sweeten cider. I use a moderate amount as I don't like my cider to be sugary sweet like soda pop, plus I rarely drink more than a pint glass at a time. My wife nor any of her family or friends who have tried our xylitol sweetened cider have mentioned any reactions. I suppose some limited numbers of folks may have xylitol sensitivities, so I can only suggest you may want to try a small amount in tea or coffee before you sweeten a whole batch unknowingly.

But I know what you mean about food sensitivities. I remember when the fat free oil substitute Olestra was introduced in potato chips. They were so good (and guilt free...lol) I ate a family sized bag. I paid the price with abdominal cramping...you know the rest of the story! Some time later I tried a more reasonable portion and had no symptoms at all.

 

[jonereb]

I don't plan to use a cup of sugar...or the stevia equivalent. Just trying to determine the base equivalent of one cup of sugar. However, I am attempting a semi-sweet wine.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

My $0.02...
Not wine, but in apple cider I will use Truvia to back-sweeten. I use 5 - 1 gram packs per gallon. I dissolve in some water before adding to the bottling bucket. Don't heat the water - room temp is fine. The first time I used it I dissolved it on the stove in heated water. Although they say it's heat stable I got a bit of the artificial sweetener taste as a result.