Hard Cider backsweetening without artifical sugar?

[crazylegs5150]

Is it possible to back sweeten a hard cider I am making with anything other then non fermentable sugars like Xylitol,Stevia, etc? While those may be "natural" in nature they are all processed using chemicals to get them the way they are. I would like to avoid this if possible. I have read that some folks use thawed frozen apple juice when going to bottle. Could I use that instead of priming sugar? If so, how much should I think about using?
I plan on storing exclusively in the refrigerator a 5 gallon batch in bottles. Otherwise I am afraid I will get a very dry, astringent cider. I'd love to get some input. Thanks so much!

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Is it possible to back sweeten a hard cider I am making with anything other then non fermentable sugars like Xylitol,Stevia, etc? While those may be "natural" in nature they are all processed using chemicals to get them the way they are. I would like to avoid this if possible. I have read that some folks use thawed frozen apple juice when going to bottle. Could I use that instead of priming sugar? If so, how much should I think about using?
I plan on storing exclusively in the refrigerator a 5 gallon batch in bottles. Otherwise I am afraid I will get a very dry, astringent cider. I'd love to get some input. Thanks so much!

If you back-sweeten with any fermentable sugar without stabilizing the cider first with potassium sorbate, the yeast will start a second fermentation in the bottle, and carbonate the cider. Depending on the amount of sugar, your bottles could easily blow up. So you have a few options:
If you want a still, sweet cider, stabilize the cider AFTER fermentation is complete with potassium sorbate, sweeten to taste, and bottle. If you didn't want to use potassium sorbate, you could POSSIBLY pasteurize the finished cider, backsweeten and bottle. I say "possibly" because I've never tried this, and I don't know how long you'd have to hold it at pasteurization temperatures to kill the yeast.
If you want sparkling, sweet cider, you can back-sweeten to taste, bottle, check the bottles daily to evaluate for carbonation, and then bottle pasteurize when the carb level is right. I tried this once...once. Exploding bottles are quite the thrill! However, you could also stabilize with potassium sorbate, keg and carbonate artificially.

 

[TopherM]

It's a PITA to backsweeten in bottles. It's breeze to backsweeten in a keg. Any chance you could move to kegging?

I serve all my ciders from a keg. To backsweeten a cider in a keg, I ferment 4.5 gallons of juice completely dry, rack to keg, get the fermented juice to fridge temps so yeast activity stops, then add 0.5 gallons of sweet, unfermented juice and carbonate.

Easy breezy in a keg. A severe pain in bottles.

 

[crazylegs5150]

Thanks for the input guys. Yeah I kinda figured it would be a PITA and I realize I am wanting my cake and to eat it too. I appreciate it. On a side note, my fermentation seems to be stuck at 1.002 despite stirring, adding more nutrient and adding a more stable yeast Lavin 71B. If I bottle at 1.002 and add some priming sugar for carb will this be an issue or do you think 1.002 is high enough where I don't need to add priming sugar?

 

[Roadie]

I serve all my ciders from a keg. To backsweeten a cider in a keg, I ferment 4.5 gallons of juice completely dry, rack to keg, get the fermented juice to fridge temps so yeast activity stops, then add 0.5 gallons of sweet, unfermented juice and carbonate.

So no chemical additives right? You just use the keezer temp to stop further fermentation?

 

[ICWiener]

So no chemical additives right? You just use the keezer temp to stop further fermentation?

That's the way I do it too. No more chemicals. I know people like to use sorbate, but I must be extra sensitive to it. I never liked the taste of my sorbated ciders. I add one bear of honey (12oz) and one can of apple juice concentrate when kegging. Throw it in the fridge and wait a week. It works great, my cider gets a lot of compliments.

 

[DGibb]

I primed and pasteurized a batch of cyser back in 2011, and I didn't have a single bottle grenade. It was a fun experience -- I was pretty nervous as I was doing the stove top pasteurization. I bottled all of the bottles except for 1 - that went in a 16 oz Coke bottle with a taped-on lid. I checked daily to see how well it was carbonated (squeeze test), and pasteurized when I thought it was done.

The result was slightly sweet cyser with champagne-like bubbles.

 

[z-bob]

Another possibility is bottling or kegging it dry, and adding simple syrup (sugar syrup) to your glass at serving time.

 

[Roadie]

That's the way I do it too. No more chemicals. I know people like to use sorbate, but I must be extra sensitive to it. I never liked the taste of my sorbated ciders. I add one bear of honey (12oz) and one can of apple juice concentrate when kegging. Throw it in the fridge and wait a week. It works great, my cider gets a lot of compliments.

My first batch is in the keg and I added sorbate and swear it gives it a funny taste. It's only been a few weeks so I'm hoping it will mellow in time.

 

[m00ps]

Maltodextrin is largely unfermentable and Lactose (milk sugar) is entirely unfermentable, might be weird in a cider....but may be awesome...

 

[TopherM]

On a side note, my fermentation seems to be stuck at 1.002 despite stirring, adding more nutrient and adding a more stable yeast Lavin 71B. If I bottle at 1.002 and add some priming sugar for carb will this be an issue or do you think 1.002 is high enough where I don't need to add priming sugar?

1.002, or 1.020? 1.002 is very dry, so almost no sugars left at all. 1.020 is sweet and has plenty of sugar left.

The sugars in any given Apple Juice are simple sugars that are very fermentable, so it wouldn't make much sense for it to get stuck. Hopefully, you are at 1.002, and that's very much a completely fermented, dry cider.

 

[Maylar]

Thanks for the input guys. Yeah I kinda figured it would be a PITA and I realize I am wanting my cake and to eat it too. I appreciate it. On a side note, my fermentation seems to be stuck at 1.002 despite stirring, adding more nutrient and adding a more stable yeast Lavin 71B. If I bottle at 1.002 and add some priming sugar for carb will this be an issue or do you think 1.002 is high enough where I don't need to add priming sugar?

If you're still at 1.002 after doing that then fermentation is done and you'll need more sugar to carbonate.

 

[ICWiener]

My first batch is in the keg and I added sorbate and swear it gives it a funny taste. It's only been a few weeks so I'm hoping it will mellow in time.

That's what I always ran into. I never did end up with a satisfactory batch. Maybe we're sensitive to it...who knows.

Mine never really mellowed out. If it were me, I would just drink it and start on the next batch.