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A new question on sweetening cider
I have a very dry still cider. Is there a way to sweeten it AND carbonate it.
I have priming sugar to carbonate and I have wine conditioner to sweeten (simple syrup with k sorbate)
It is my understanding that the priming sugar would be rendered ineffective with the conditioner because of the k sorabate, as would any attempt at carbonation because the k stops the fermentation.
Thoughts?
Really, the only sure and safe way (i.e. no bottle bombs) to back sweeten an extra dry cider is to add frozen concentrated apple juice to taste and then force carbonate in a keg. The yeast that are still in your cider are way too active to add enough sugar to back sweeten a cider without creating too much carbonation. Hope that helps. Cheers!
I have some that are carbonated the way I like but are too dry, I have been adding a splash of apple juice to each glass at serving time. I took a case of it to a friends house last weekend and everyone there liked it enough that he has offered to buy me the kegging equipment I need to get it right on future batches - I just have to share with him.
You could back sweeten yours to where you like the taste, then add priming sugar and bottle as usual. Then open one every few days to check the carbonation level. When it gets to where you want it, kill off the yeast with bottle pasteurization.
There is a good discussion on another forum:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-st … cs-193295/
I haven't tried this yet but plan to on the batch I have in primary now.
I've been researching this myself. I have a cider I just backsweetened with honey, and it got a little too sweet for my taste, so I'm letting it go for a while longer to let it dry back out. But there is a way where if you keep track of it you can pasturize after the desired carbonation has been achieved.
Go to that homebrewtalk link...that's a good one.
Basically, when you reach desired carbonation (check by opening after 5 days, then every other day after that...and drink, of course...until its as fizzy and still sweet as you want it) then soak the bottles in a pot with water heated up to 190* for ten minuetes with the heat turned OFF. Then, gently pull out to cool, and the yeast has been killed and you won't loose any sweetness from that point on.
Cheers, and good luck.
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