New to brew question

[mickey87123]

So I finished my first batch of cider 3 weeks ago and it was a bit too dry for me ! It was a basic recipe and I let it ferment for 3 weeks till the final gravity was 1.000 and then I added Camden tablets and bottled with a bit of sugar hoping it would carbonate which it did not really do ! So my first question is what do I need to do with my next batch to get a slightly sweeter cider ? And my second question is what did I do wrong because the carbonation was not good ?

 

[WilliamSlayer]

So I finished my first batch of cider 3 weeks ago and it was a bit too dry for me ! It was a basic recipe and I let it ferment for 3 weeks till the final gravity was 1.00 and then I added Camden tablets and bottled with a bit of sugar hoping it would carbonate which it did not really do !

So my first question is what do I need to do with my next batch to get a slightly sweeter cider ?

And my second question is what did I do wrong because the carbonation was not good ?

How to Sussreserve


Rack to a fresh carboy leaving all the settled out yeast and sediment behind.

Add:

1/2 tsp potassium sorbate per gallon.
1/4 - 1/2 tsp TOTAL potassium metabisulfite for the batch.

Add and stir gently. Give the cider 4-7 days.

Then rack to a fresh carboy and sweeten. If planning on kegging/force carbing, you can rack to the keg instead of a carboy.

This my proven method for Sussreserve.

As to how much to sweeten, that is very subjective. You should pull a sample, taste, and add sweetener slowly to your desired level. Then scale up for the entire batch.

 

[Newsman]

Adding campden will prevent your yeast from carbonating your yeast.

 

[mickey87123]

So what does the potassium and sorbet do ???
And what do u recommend to sweeten with ? Iv been reading coffee sweetener does the trick or is there something better ?

 

[WilliamSlayer]

So what does the potassium and sorbet do ???
And what do u recommend to sweeten with ? Iv been reading coffee sweetener does the trick or is there something better ?

They arrest yeast reproduction, and inhibit yeast growth.

I sweeten with more cider, usually in a ratio close to 1:5 or 1:6 (1 gal cider to 5 gal hard cider).


Its very easy to make a sweet cider... OR a carbonated cider. But a bit tricky to make one that is BOTH. To do that you must sweeten, then artificially carb (force carb), or sweeten with something non-fermentable (like splenda or xylitol), and bottle carb with priming sugar.

 

[mickey87123]

Thanks allot for your help,think I'm gonna go with sweetening with apple juice and get my self a keg !

 

[Newsman]

Thanks allot for your help,think I'm gonna go with sweetening with apple juice and get my self a keg !

Mickey.. make sure you clean it VERY good when you get it, if it's used. There's lots of places to get kegs. If you want a NEW keg (or two) you can get a cosmetically blemished one for a fraction of the price of a really pretty one, or slightly more than a used one. Beverage Elements has some brand new, "scratch-n-dent" ball-lock kegs for $70 + shipping. You wont' find a brand new shiny keg for that price anywhere else, unless it "fell off a truck" or something.
Or you can get used pin-locks for about half that price. Pin-locks are shorter and fatter, but still hold 5 gallons. They just use a different connector. OTOH, you can't accidentally put a gas line on a liquid post with pin-locks, as they have a different number of pins (three for one and 2 for the other... don't recall which is which.)
Used ball-locks, if you can get 'em are going for over $50 a piece. Look on eBay for them. You can find both kinds there used.

 

[Yooper]

Adding campden will prevent your yeast from carbonating your yeast.

No, it won't. Wine yeast and brewer's yeast are amazingly tolerant of sulfites (that's why winemakers use them). Sorbate, on the other hand, will inhibit yeast and prevent yeast reproduction and is used when a winemaker wants to sweeten a finished wine/cider/mead.