sweeten with Xylitol first

[gx37987]

Hi just want to say that im new to the whole home brew experience, I have brewed 2 batches of cider a couple of months ago they turned ok O.K. drinkable but a bit on the dry side I used EC-1118 and my OG was 1.066 so I knew that it was going to be a strong batch.
I going to try another batch but using 71B-1122 yeast but my question is can I sweeten the cider with Xylitol first, knowing what my OG is prior to adding the sweetner and what my OG will be after adding the sweetner, the yeast would only convert the reg sugar and leave the sweetner alone or would it give it a funny taste, pluse im only going to make a 1 gal batch so how much yeaste would i use?

 

[HopSong]

I haven't tried that (sweetening first).. but, it could be a good idea. I don't think the flavor would change during the conversion process (AJ to AC). There is very little fermentable material in Xylitol.

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

If it was a 5 gallon batch, I would personally sweeten it post fermentation. I wouldn't take a chance on the yeasties doing something strange with it and then losing 5 gallons. They might not like those borg molecules in the party and produce some off flavors. But with a 1 gallon batch it might be worth the experiment.

How does Xylitol contribute to Specific Gravity? Is it the same as sugar?

 

[ICWiener]

I going to try another batch but using 71B-1122 yeast

That's still going to come out blazing dry. Pretty much any wine yeast is going to rip through your cider. Try Wyeast's or White Labs' cider yeasts or just about any ale yeast...they'll be a little less aggressive.

How does Xylitol contribute to Specific Gravity? Is it the same as sugar?

I use xylitol all the time in my ciders, but I don't know how it affects the gravity because I only add it post fermentation. I agree with you though, if OP wants to add it pre-fermentation, I would try it in a 1 gallon batch first. Just in case.

 

[caseymac91]

There's no benefit in adding xylitol beforehand. If you add it afterwards you can sweeten it to taste. Use 1 tsp of yeast per gallon.

 

[Archer]

Anyone with experience using xyliyol, does it leave any artificial taste or have any other ill effects?

 

[HopSong]

I haven't personally noted any off flavors with it. However, I have noted off flavors with some other artificial sweeteners.

 

[caseymac91]

I think xylitol is the best tasting non fermentable sweetener. Unfortunately it gives me extremely painful stomach "issues". I've read that some people need to gradually increase intake to avoid these symptoms. It does have an off taste if over used, but not in reasonable amounts.

 

[ICWiener]

Anyone with experience using xyliyol, does it leave any artificial taste or have any other ill effects?

No artificial taste as far as I can tell. I've topped out at 2 cups dissolved into 5 gallons of cider, for a sweet cider. It tastes just fine. Apparently some people do get digestive issues from it, but none of the people I've ever served it to have had problems.

 

[jkoegel]

^ x2 ON THIS.
From what I have read about it the stomach issues usually only happen at high levels. Never happened to anyone I know yet. I only add about 2-4 Tbsp per gallon(to taste) when bottling. I love the stuff, really natural flavor without the chemical after-taste. It is sort of a cooling flavor in your mouth.

 

[skadalajara]

You're not going to get any artificial sweetener flavors because it's not an artificial sweetener. Its an alcohol, or chemically very close to an alcohol, that happens to be very sweet.
Effects on specific gravity are going to be alcohol-like. It will make your gravity look a hair lower than it actually is.

 

[Fades47]

That's still going to come out blazing dry. Pretty much any wine yeast is going to rip through your cider. Try Wyeast's or White Labs' cider yeasts or just about any ale yeast...they'll be a little less aggressive.



I use xylitol all the time in my ciders, but I don't know how it affects the gravity because I only add it post fermentation. I agree with you though, if OP wants to add it pre-fermentation, I would try it in a 1 gallon batch first. Just in case.

How much xylitol do you use/gal?

 

[Maylar]

It has the same sweetness as sugar. 3 tbsp per gallon works for me.

 

[rjolin01]

Pricing on xylitol isn't bad if you can buy generic/bulk. I got 2lbs of it for ~$8 at the local organic/health food store