First cider and some questions

[andrew000141]

I made my first cider today. it's for thanksgiving, so I made it with a mix of cinnamon ginger nutmeg and allspice(about 1.5oz total) and 1.5 cups dark brown sugar(I plan to add some more after fermentation)NOTE: 3 gal batch. Trying to get into the autumn spirit. Has anyone ever tried this or something similiar? How did it come out? I have also heard complaints of cider being too dry while I was researching online and wondered if anyone has tried steeping some crystal in their cider before. Did that fix up the excessive dryness?

[mtnrockhopper]

First question is if you're bottling or kegging? You have a few more options if you're kegging.
 
If you're bottling then you can sweeten with maltodextrin which isn't fermentable - I think that would be better than trying to steep crystal malt. The maltodextrin sweetness doesn't last forever, but it will last 6 months.
 
If you keg, then sulfite and sorbate will stop the yeast. Then you can sweeten to taste.
 
Or you can stop the yeast, sweeten and bottle it still. But most people like carbonated cider.

[andrew000141]

ok ill definitely look into maltodextrin and i will be bottling this because my stout is residing in my keg. would me adding more dark brown sugar after fermentation slows down help sweeten it since it has a percentage of unfermentable sugars? or would it just dry it out more?

[mtnrockhopper]

No, in my experience adding simple sugars and raising alcohol just leaves the finished product with an even drier finish. 
 
Keeping fermentation as cool as you can will help. I have dry (0.999) ciders that taste much sweeter because they were fermented at 40F. They retain much more apple character.

[nateo]

Using an ale yeast is the easiest way to keep it from getting too dry. I've bottle-carbed ciders with T-58 that finished at about 1.010. No bottle bombs yet, knock on wood.

[erockrph]

Using an ale yeast is the easiest way to keep it from getting too dry. I've bottle-carbed ciders with T-58 that finished at about 1.010. No bottle bombs yet, knock on wood.

When you've done this have you let the yeast finish out and then added back priming sugar? Or do you just wait till it gets to 1.012 or so and bottle then?

[nateo]

When you've done this have you let the yeast finish out and then added back priming sugar? Or do you just wait till it gets to 1.012 or so and bottle then?

The yeast finished and flocc'd, then I added priming sugar and bottles as usual.

I've used S-04 too, but it flocc'd out around 1.016 and fermentation limped along down to about 1.004 after a couple months. T-58 is more dependable.

In both cases, there was a higher amount of "appley flavor" remaining compared to ciders I've made using wine yeast.

[andrew000141]

I actually used a notty and a Windsor for the yeast, I'm using the swamp cooler technique to keep it cold as possible

[mtnrockhopper]

Using an ale yeast is the easiest way to keep it from getting too dry. I've bottle-carbed ciders with T-58 that finished at about 1.010. No bottle bombs yet, knock on wood.

I'm curious. I've never heard of beer yeast kicking out earlier than wine yeast.