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Sweet Cider
Ok, so I just tried my cider after just over a week in the bottles. It's really dry and alcoholic (I'm decently buzzed after one 12oz bottle). I want to make sweeter cider next time, but here's my dilemma: I want sweeter cider, but I know that adding sugar to make it sweeter just gives the yeast food. I really don't want to make bottle bombs. What are some pointers to making a sweeter cider that's still decently (5-6%) alcoholic?
Thanks
Gabriel
I've read that carmelized sugar can help, and a few people have tried a light malt. Both of those will add alco (not as much as sugar or honey though), but if you don't want to add any you'll need a swetening agent that can't ferment. Splenda is pretty popular for that, but that sounds desperate to me.
Best solution i've heard is to stop fermentation when you're with k-sorb then keg it with juice concentrate, honey, or whatever you want. I guess force carbonation gives you a lot more options.
If you add some sort of fermentable sugar, you will be giving the yeast more food, and actually make your cider more dry rather than sweeter. You need some sort of unfermentable sugar. Lactose works, as well as Splenda, as drogers mentioned.
Another option is to sweeten each bottle as your pour it. I also understand that cider takes a long time to mature, so you may try leaving the bottles for a while longer and give it another shot. The flavor should improve with age, so you may find you like it as it is.
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