hard sparkeling cider

Alcoholic beverages which are not classified as spirits.

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akrandy
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hard sparkeling cider

Post by akrandy »

well today im making hard cider and after it ferments and i rack it and let it sit for a bit, i need to add sugar for carbonation. at what point o i do this? right after i rack it or just before i bottel it? and witch sugar do i use white,brown or dextrose? and how much per gallon ? and last thing is i used 1 pack of champain yeast then a freind said i put to much in? is the cider going to be ok or no? thanks akrandy
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GuyFawkes
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by GuyFawkes »

I would say the best method is to make regular cider first, then add a bit of EC1118 with a few tablespoons of plain white sugar before bottling. Honestly I find it is a lot of trouble to create carbonated beverages, easier to add neutral to pre-existing cider. I guess that's not the goal though :problem:

I like toying around with cream soda. Easy to make, goes great with rum, and teaches a lot about making the fizzy. Plus I think it's very easy to refine, easier than a lot of drinks. Making it fizzy and good tasting should be priority over abv anyway.
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akrandy
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by akrandy »

right on thanks but i think i should add some brown sugar 3/4 of a cup to 1 gallon.ill let you know how it goes
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GuyFawkes
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by GuyFawkes »

Right on, good luck with it. I'm still a noobie too, so we are in the same boat here. Just don't be afraid to experiment, using brown sugar or honey or whatever to sweeten it, one person may not like it but you'll love it, or you may not like what another person recommends.

Really the only thing you have to do is seal it/bottle it while it still ferments (but right at the end or after starting another mini ferment or else you'll blow it up) to create carbonation. Besides that, it's all one big experiment.
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GuyIncognito
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by GuyIncognito »

To make sparkling cider you follow the same process as for making beer.

Once cider has completed fermentation (and yeast has dropped out of suspension and settled at the bottom), you are ready to bottle. You'll be mixing in a small amount of sugar and then sealing the cider in bottles. As the bit of sugar ferments, it will produce co2 which will be trapped in the sealed bottle and ultimately carbonate the beverage.

1. Prepare a sugar solution - For 5 gallons, heat a pint of water on the stove and dissolve in ~3 oz sugar. You can use any type of sugar you please, won't make much of a difference. Stir the sugar til it melts to prevent scorching then boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. Add sugar solution to whatever vessel you are racking into (BE CAREFUL if the container is glass make sure the solution is cool so it doesn't shatter from thermal shock). Rack cider on top of solution.

3. Bottle cider and cap.

FYI sparkling cider will be dry as a fucking bone. To have sparkling sweet cider you either need a kegging system, to backsweeten and then sulfite the cider, or to make massively strong 10-15% abv cider which will likely taste like shit.
nwvapors
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by nwvapors »

I've back sweetened with frozen apple juice concentrate when my cider fermented out too dry for my tastes (13%) and then kegged it after I neutralized the yeast. I agree with guyincognito treat it the same as beer drop in some sugar and bottle you should be fine.
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by RumBrewer »

akrandy wrote:right on thanks but i think i should add some brown sugar 3/4 of a cup to 1 gallon.ill let you know how it goes
You gonna have some nice exploding bottles if this is your priming method.
3/4 cup for 5 gallons maybe.
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akrandy
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by akrandy »

o wow i dont want that. i was watching a utube video and thats what it was saying to do 3/4 for 1 gallon and then let it sit out of 2 day then in fridge. but if you think that too much sugar i will only use what you are saying 3oz. but i do want it sweet, and i do not have the kegging so maybe ill just leave it as hard cider :)
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GuyFawkes
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by GuyFawkes »

One thing you can do is ferment it to, say, 5% abv, tasting it every day once you like both the abv and flavor, you bottle it in plastic and feel it every few hours. Once the bottle is hard, you put it in the fridge to halt any further fermentation. You do not need much at all to make it "sparkling", you only need about .3% abv in a sealed container to make it carbonated.
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akrandy
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by akrandy »

ok ill go that rout thanks for the tip
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Re: hard sparkeling cider

Post by heartcut »

Like rumbrewer said, after fermentation is over, 3/4 cup of sugar in 5 gal right before bottling will give you a "coors, bud" level of carbonation.
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