Sweeting and Backsweeting...

[AWKBrewing13]

I have had a whole foods pasteurized cider that I pitched nottingham yeast into and racked it after one week and now in secondary for two weeks.

I tried it and it wasnt bad but a little dry. I think I was lucky that it wasnt vinegary. I think from now on I will use typical motts or indian summer apple juice to get better clarity.

BUT I would like something with a touch of sweetness. Woodchuck is too sweet for me. Something in between is good. But I would like to not use Sodium Metabisulfite.

How can I sweeten without adding Sodium metabisulfite and still create carbonation?

Sorry Im still so new at this I think I need a better understanding of the basics.

 

[thisone]

to sweeten it, provided you're going to bottle carb it and not pasteurize, you need something sweet that the yeasts cannot ferment

you could lactose or an artificial sweetener like splenda or sweet n low.

however, I don't know much about adding more of an apple taste without giving the yeasts more fermentables. I've read that priming with apple juice concentrate will give more of an apple taste, but I haven't tried it yet

 

[edmanster]

the apple will come out on its own when you backsweeten it... ive used splenda, xylitol, and stevia before.. the stevia at the regular store is called truvia or something like that but it like splenda use maltodextrin as a filler and ive gone away from that.. xylitol is kinda expensive and stevia a little goes a long way.. i use a gram scale and 3oz sample cups to get the taste where i want it and then dose to 5 gallons...

 

[AWKBrewing13]

Someone on here I saw mentioned using apple juice WITH preservatives so that you get sweetness, more apple flavor and with the preservatives it wont ferment...

just wasnt sure how widely used this method was and how much to use for 5 gal.

 

[dogboysdad]

I have backsweetened with apple juice concentrate befor kegging. It turns out great, but I do dose it with meta before I add the concentrate, then I gas up my kegs. If you bottle, use something non-fermentable.

 

[AWKBrewing13]

Now what if I used a London Ale yeast from White labs. Or a sweet mead/cider yeast. I looked it up and it says that it has a lower attenuation leaving it sweeter. Is this right?

I was thinking 5 gallons motts apple juice. 1.0 pounds Sugar in the raw (color, and higher abv) 1/4 or 1/2 lime (acidity) and steep One Irish tea bag (tannins) Basically Grahmas English Cider with diff yeast and some sugar for color.

Would I be able to bottle this after fermentation is complete without using Camp tablets?