Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Hard apple cider  (Read 9594 times)

Offline euge

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8017
  • Ego ceruisam ad bibere cervisiam
Re: Hard apple cider
« Reply #15 on: May 04, 2012, 12:15:06 pm »
When I do it I'll let it ferment out and rack to a keg and chill. Then I will add a can or two of frozen apple juice concentrate to back-sweeten. I've found out that that is about right for my tastes. I keep the keg cold to inhibit fermentation, but if I were planning on bottling I'd use a campden tab or two when racking and before back-sweetening.

Keeping it cold slows the process down dramatically and works with beer as well.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline micsager

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1179
Re: Hard apple cider
« Reply #16 on: May 04, 2012, 12:16:47 pm »
When I do it I'll let it ferment out and rack to a keg and chill. Then I will add a can or two of frozen apple juice concentrate to back-sweeten. I've found out that that is about right for my tastes. I keep the keg cold to inhibit fermentation, but if I were planning on bottling I'd use a campden tab or two when racking and before back-sweetening.

Keeping it cold slows the process down dramatically and works with beer as well.

That's an interesting idea.  Might have to do that. 

Offline brewsumore

  • Brewmaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 678
  • Spokane, WA
Re: Hard apple cider
« Reply #17 on: May 26, 2012, 12:25:40 pm »
When I do it I'll let it ferment out and rack to a keg and chill. Then I will add a can or two of frozen apple juice concentrate to back-sweeten. I've found out that that is about right for my tastes. I keep the keg cold to inhibit fermentation, but if I were planning on bottling I'd use a campden tab or two when racking and before back-sweetening.

Keeping it cold slows the process down dramatically and works with beer as well.

How long do you generally keep your cider in secondary before kegging/chilling/backsweetening?  I've made dry cider several times, and waited nearly a year before bottling, but plan to keg this time and am shooting for only a four month secondary, basically until the cider pretty fully clears, before kegging/chilling/backsweetening.

Offline Jimmy K

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3643
  • Delaware
Re: Hard apple cider
« Reply #18 on: May 29, 2012, 07:14:14 am »
Due to the nature of the sugars and the yeast ciders tend to ferment nearly all the way out so "stunning" the yeast with [ur=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_metabisulfitel]potassium metabisulfite  and I believe you can also use campden tabs- 1 per 5 gallons. Then you can add more sugars to "backsweeten" the cider.

Or you could use sugars that the yeast can;t ferment- maybe lactose? I've used splenda to lightly sweeten up a cider before and didn;t get any "synthetic" flavors.

Campden tabs are sulfites, so don't use both. And for best yeast control you'd need potassium sorbate too. Sulfites won't do it alone.
 
I've used splenda. It does sweeten, but doesn't add any mouthfeel, which I miss. Good for bottle conditioning though. I've tried some maltodextrin and found that it retained mouthfeel over time, but the sweetness fades over a few months. Don't use aspertame (nutrasweet or equal) as it hydrolyzes and stops tasting sweet within a few weeks. Haven't tried lactose.
Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958