What to do...

[freisste]

So I made an attempt at a cider roughly following the recipe/directions here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/5-day-sweet-country-cider.265986/

I've done this before with great results, halting fermentation at maybe 1.030 via dishwasher pasteurization. However, on this attempt I ran out of time, leaving for vacation when the cider was at about 1.035-1.040. I was gone for 9 days, so I couldn't bottle and plan to pasteurize at the desired carbonation level. The cider is now right around 1.000, so considerably dryer than I'd like.

At this point, would you

A. Add sugar to sweeten/prime and effectively follow the directions above but end up with stronger cider?
B. Add cider? Any thoughts on how much?
C. Combination?
D. Other?

Thanks, folks. Love this forum in general, even though I generally lurk on the beginners' brewing section.

 

[Maylar]

A. will work. Carbonation only consumes about 2-3 gravity points of sugar. You'll need a way to monitor the carbonation level before pasteurizing.

 

[freisste]

Ok. In the past, I have filled a single plastic bottle in addition to the glass bottles. When the plastic is hard, I pasteurize. Not perfect, but it works.

So you think I should add sugar to achieve 1.030, and bottle immediately? That was my basic though. Any idea how much sugar to add (per gallon) to get to 1.030? I guess I could figure it out, but I'm lazy...

 

[Chalkyt]

I am guessing that your method leaves some sweetness in the cider once you stop fermentation at 1.030. I am no expert but I imagine you could get back to this or above it by "sugaring up" with sugar or FAJC. Of course as you have suggested, this will probably kick the yeast back into action and so consuming some of the sugar will bump up the ABV. Although it is likely that if you started at something like SG 1.050, once you get down to 1.030 the ABV won't be all that high (probably in the 2-3% range).

I understand that it is quite common to bottle at around 1.010 and not worry about subsequent carbonating sugar. I am guessing, but I suppose that sugaring up from where you are to 1.040 then stopping at 1.030 would get you to where you want to be with only another 1% or so of ABV.

So far I have used Brewer's Friend Carbonation Calculator to carb up from 1.000 (i.e. fully fermented to dryness). I found that aiming for 3 vols of CO2 works. This requires 8g of sugar (about 2 tsp) per litre. You could simply take this approach but your Cider will be dry.

Probably your best friend here will be a hydrometer, as indicated by Mylar.

My attempts at cider haven't been overly sophisticated although the results since I came across advice from this forum have been quite good to date, so don't take the above as expert advice. Others might have a different take on the situation.

 

[freisste]

@Chalkyt, thanks for the reply. Yes, this does leave quite a bit of residual sweetness. For me, cider from a mill is unpalatably sweet. However, following the recipe posted above leaves a pleasantly sweet cider with great apple taste. I think I would have a stomach ache before I got drunk, but I can definitely tell after a pint that there was some alcohol. I have tried fermenting dry, but for me personally, it ends up way too dry, like champagne.

As an update, I was a little concerned that I had an infection based on bubbles and crap on the top and a bit of a vinegary taste/smell. Added frozen apple juice concentrate and as much sugar as I seemed to be able to keep in suspension and it came to about 1.030 or a little less. I put it straight into bottles. They don't seem to be carbing up (based on the one plastic bottle I used), but I'll let you know if anything changes.

 

[freisste]

Quick update - the plastic bottle is pretty hard (this is me being a *tad* unscientific...just a little embarrassed as I am an engineer and I worked in a chemistry lab in college). I plan to pasteurize tomorrow. Barring unexpected/embarrassing/funny/interesting results, I won't post again until I taste it.

 

[bleme]

Another option to consider for the future is sweetening in the glass. I really like a squirt of Torani mango syrup with a dry cider.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/to...MI26HH8pOI2AIVgtlkCh2GngtmEAQYASABEgIZcPD_BwE

 

[Maylar]

Quick update - the plastic bottle is pretty hard (this is me being a *tad* unscientific...just a little embarrassed as I am an engineer and I worked in a chemistry lab in college). I plan to pasteurize tomorrow. Barring unexpected/embarrassing/funny/interesting results, I won't post again until I taste it.

As a fellow engineer, I offer the following solution:

 

[johnnyseko]

As a fellow engineer, I offer the following solution:

This thing is great. First batch using mine. Watching the pressure rise, after a few days I'm up to 15psi - looking forward to pasteurizing day!

I made mine after the squeeze test didn't work out for me. I pasteurized way too early first time around = disappointment.