can I save my too sweet cider

[adivadiv]

Hello everyone, I need advice please.
I have made a DJ of cider, (1 gallon) but I think I may have made a mistake by putting 2lb (full bag) of caster sugar into it from the start. Although it tastes good and quite alcoholic, it is undrinkable from being too sweet.
I used 5L of 100% apple juice concentrate and 1 sachet of cider yeast.

I don't know anything about specific gravity but intend to learn. Is there anyway that I can save this brew? It is still very slightly fermenting (been going for about 8 weeks now) at about 1 bubble every 7 seconds.

The ideas that I have been having are:
1/ put in another sachet of yeast and leave for another 8 weeks.
2/ put half into another DJ and top up both with water and add yeast to both.

Please help.

PS. I used to make scrumpy about 30 years ago which was very very strong.
At the time I used to sell fruit and veg so I could buy apples very cheaply.
This is how I did it:
40lb box of french golden delicious apples. (very sweet apples)
Chop up apples and put into hessian sack. (probably old onion sack)
Put sack through an old mangle. (old fassion clothes wringer)
Collect juice, filter through muslim cloth and put into DJ with airlock.
No added sugar and no yeast.
Leave in warm place, (airing cupboard) for about 7 weeks. (until bubbling stopped)
Washed everything but never sterilized.
No one could drink more than 2 pints without falling over lol.

Anyway please help if you can.
Thank you
Ivor

 

[Bigjack68]

do you have another gallon jug? if so siphon 1/2 into one and top them off with plain apple juice. that's what I did when I added too much sugar in. Or if your thirsty now mix with club soda.

BTW: That stuff you were cooking up back in the day sounds pretty good

 

[tokerlund]

By adding that much sugar you made the Apple Juice a much higher Gravity. Now you have reached the limit of the yeast with extra sugar left over. You do NOT want to just add more yeast, as they too will likely just die due to too high of alcohol. You do NOT want to just add water as that will make the cider less sweet, but also thinner or more watery tasting.

Split this batch into two vessels and then add apple juice to each. I'm not sure where you are at, but I think most folks like about 1-2 cups of sugar per gallon. Of course that depends on their taste (sweet or dry), the apple juice's original gravity and what type of sugar you are using. I think if you basically double the amount of apple juice, you should turn out alright.

 

[Fossey]

Did you use 5L of concentrate or "juice from concentrate"?!!!
If it was all concentrate and all that sugar, I'd be surprised if a hydrometer would even break the surface!!!

 

[adivadiv]

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice, I will let you know how it turns out.
By the way, I live in Cornwall in the south west of England, Somerset, 50 miles up the road is probably the birth place of cider. But down yer a lot of us drink very strong cider and it is called scrumpy. A couple of pints of that gives you straight hair and curly teeth lol.
Have a great night guys.
Ivor

 

[tokerlund]

Do you get much access to Perry Pears? From what I hear England is the most likely place to find true perry pear trees.

 

[adivadiv]

Hi tokerlund, not sure about the pears. But I do know we do grow here 2 very delicious pears in Williams and Conference.

Anyway guys, an update.

I have been a right idiot. When I started this gallon of cider there was too much for 1 DJ so what was left over I put into a bottle repeatedly loosening the cap to let out the gas. This is where I was getting my "too sweet" sample from.
I should have taken my taste samples from the DJ. I have just split the gallon into 2 DJ's topping up with apple juice, (so now 2 gallons) but I did steal 1ltr into a bottle and guess what! that is very drinkable, a bit sweet but very drinkable but it tastes exactly like wine?
So now I have 2 DJ's of watered down (with apple juice) cider and 1 ltr bottle of something quite alchoholic.

Now my worry is will the DJ's start fermenting again? I am so tempted to put a small amount of yeast in both.
I have now got myself a SG tester and have tested both the original brew in the DJ and that was around 1.000 and also tested the original "too sweet" stuff and that was about 1.045. So obviously the stuff I was tasteing as too sweet just wasn't fermenting properly in a bottle.
Anyway, if the DJ's fail, I will end up with 1 bottle of alchohol of some sort that I have now stored for ageing.
Shall I leave the 2 DJ's going and hope for the best?
Have a great night.
Ivor

 

[adivadiv]

Ok, I am going to start nameing things.
I am going to call my original DJ that has everything original including the gunge in the bottom plus 2 and a half pint off 100% apple juice plus the contents of my test bottle that was way too sweet, dj1.
I am going to call my second DJ that has about 2 and a half pints of original brew and 2 and a half pints of 100% apple juice duice.
The bottle that I said tasted like wine, really does, I just tasted again, it is quite deliciouse.

dj1 is bubbling away very nicely now about 1 bubble a second, so happy with that.
dj2 is doing nothing at all so very unhappy with that.

I do not waste anything. I am going to put a small sprinkle of yeast in dj2

Please advise me.
Have a lovely evening.
Ivor

 

[adivadiv]

May have forgot to say, I put my too sweet sample, prob about 1/3trd ltr into dj1

ivor

 

[adivadiv]

Oh well, I didn't put any yeast in dj2 thank goodness because both DJ's are going like crazy now, 2 or 3 bubbles a second.
And so much for ageing that bottle of wine ???? that I drew off, it was delicious and potent, semi sweet with a hint of apple. Just the one bottle was enough for my friend that usually drinks 2 bottles an evening. I will definately recomend that method to anyone that is fed up with chemical infused cheap shop bought wine.
For 1 gallon:
5lts of super market 100% apple juice concentrate @ about 65 pence a ltr.
2lb of caster sugar
1 sachet of cider yeast
about 8 weeks close to a radiator
Ivor

 

[tokerlund]

Hey, sounds like a good learning experience. Before you jump into your 2nd batch, check through some of the posts on basic cider brewing. Your next batch will be way easier, way tastier and way less headache.

Good luck!

 

[adivadiv]

Hi chaps, an update.
Well dj1 had almost stopped bubbling at about 1 bubble every 10 seconds so I have bottled it with a teaspoon of sugar in each bottle.
Thanks to you guys for the advice because I have got myself so far 4 ltrs of delicious quite dry, amazingly strong cider.
Just from syphoning into the bottles, and a small sample taste of course, I can feel the alcohol content, woohoo.
The finished SG of dj1 was 1.000.
I am going to leave dj2 for a few more days then bottle that. It is on about a bubble every 8 seconds at the mo.
I bet you can guess what I am going to do next, yes I am going to get myself a 5 gallon fermenter and make a decent batch, but I am going to use Alcotec 23% Turbo Yeast - maximum alcohol, which can tolerate 23% alcohol, just to see if it works. You don't know until you try.
With the 2 empty DJ's I am going to try and recreate that lovely apple wine that I ended up with at first, eg 5 ltrs apple juice, 2lb (pound) of sugar, but this time I will use Champagne yeast instead of cider yeast.
I have found this whole experience very very enjoyable, and now I have got the bug.
Have a great night everyone, I will keep you informed of my antics.
Ivor
PS. this is the link to the place that I buy my bits from. http://www.hopshopuk.com/

 

[tokerlund]

Just a warning

1 bubble every 10 seconds means it is still fermenting. FG on some ciders and wines can end BELOW 1.000. If you bottled it and killed the yeast through potassium sorbate or pasteurization, then you are fine. If not, you may have a bomb on your hands.

To ensure they are done fermenting, you should take multiple gravity readings over multiple days and ensure they remain the same.

Good luck and glad to hear things came out better than you were expecting.

 

[saramc]

Just a warning

1 bubble every 10 seconds means it is still fermenting. FG on some ciders and wines can end BELOW 1.000. If you bottled it and killed the yeast through potassium sorbate or pasteurization, then you are fine. If not, you may have a bomb on your hands.....

Warning.... potassium sorbate does NOT kill yeast. This has to be one of the most common bits of major misinformation on just about every winemaking forum out there. Sorbate simply prevents any viable yeast from reproducing; it is very important that your must be at its lowest FG and you have racked to clear your must of at least 90% of the yeast cells before you add sorbate. Plus sorbate works best when used in conjunction with k-meta. So if you still have fermentables on board & you add sorbate thinking you will just kill those yeast/stop that ferment and then backsweeten you have just chaptalized your batch. Any and all available viable yeast will just keep working, just not reproducing, and your ACV will increase. So pasteurization is indeed the way to go if need to stop a ferment in its tracks (unless you plan to fortify and kill the yeast due to ETOH toxicity).

 

[adivadiv]

Hi guys, thanks for the info, however, it is no problem, because I have started drinking it now and it is real scrumpy. Just had half a pint and it is nice and dry with a hint of the teaspoon of sugar in the bottle. Here's to a great night yeehaa.
Ivor

 

[adivadiv]

Hi guy's, an update.
dj1 turned out to be really good scrumpy (usually cider that is over 7.5%) it was cloudy but yum yum.
dj2, has fermented a lot longer and I am drinking it this momment. It is very very nice, completely clear, very dry and very strong.
So takeing your advise guy's about halving the brew and topping up with apple juice, paid off amazingly, so thanks guy's. Great great scrumpy.
So now, staying with apples, I have got a gallon of apple wine on the go which according to the SG tester should end up as 15%. That will keep my other half happy. As I have already said, my next project is to buy a 5 gallon fermenter and use the 25% alcohol tolerant yeast makeing scrumpy. Can't wait.
Have a brilliant night, I'm off to bed. It is approx 6.30pm here and I get up for work every day ay 4am.
iVOR