2 cups per gallon for back sweetening?

[crabjoe]

I see lots of posts talking about less than 6 cups for a 5 gallon batch, but I'm having a hard time with what it tastes like based on the recipe.

Maybe I've got a bad batch or it's my taste buds, but with 6 cups, it just doesn't seem sweet enough and I barely taste the lemon.. So I'm thinking about adding more sugar.

How many of you have tried more than 6 cups for a 5 gallon batch? Would it be crazy to go to 2 cups per gallon?

Thanks!

 

[salcoco]

the best method to use is a bench trial. I would suggest developing a sugar syrup, two cups sugar to one cup hot water. mix in a blender let cool. take a number of 1/4 cup samples of the wine. add 1/4 tsp sugar to first samples, twice this to second, three time to third etc. taste sample find the one you want calculate the amount needed for larger batch. this method insures you don't over sweeten main batch and provides a good control for any sweetening action.

 

[cmason1957]

Two other thing I always do with backsweetening. 1) Decide which I think is the "best" then use a little bit less sugar than that, it always seems to get a bit sweeter as it ages. 2) Once I decide on the best, make up a one bottle version of that, then put it away until the next day. Also, if the wine will be a chilled wine when consumed, chill you bench trials. (so maybe that's three)

 

[fsa46]

Once you get what you like, check the SG and you can always know what to shoot for on future SP.

That's what I do on my wine and planning on doing the same on my first batch of SP that is at 1.046 as of this evening. Added the last bottle of juice, nutrient and energizer.

 

[crabjoe]

Once you get what you like, check the SG and you can always know what to shoot for on future SP.

That's what I do on my wine and planning on doing the same on my first batch of SP that is at 1.046 as of this evening. Added the last bottle of juice, nutrient and energizer.

You're really at 1.046? I'm at 1.020 and was thinking I might need to go to 1.035 to get something decent to drink.

 

[M38A1]

You're really at 1.046? I'm at 1.020 and was thinking I might need to go to 1.035 to get something decent to drink.

I believe fsa46 is still in primary fermentation and sitting at 1.046 on his way to dry where he'll then bring SG back up via sugar addition.

Me? If I'm doing a straight by the book SP, I go 1 cup sugar/gallon and it's been pretty consistent every time in the taste department for the lady friend...

 

[fsa46]

Thanks M38A1 . I'll start from there on a gallon and see how I like it.

My first batch is already dry at .992 in 9 days. I degassed last night and can't believe how much gas this SP has. It has so much that I'm going to degas again today. I started to degas with a vacuum pump but ended up splitting the 5 gallon batch into two 5 gallon carboys and shook the heck out of it. WOW, you wouldn't believe the foam. I then put it back in the one carboy with an airlock until today.

I kept the must at 75-80 degrees

I'm also going to back-sweeten a couple gallons with some Vavel Strawberry syrup. I've been using the Vavel Raspberry syrup in my raspberry wine to back-sweeten and it's awesome. Unfortunately they are no longer in business so I bought 30 bottles of the raspberry and strawberry for future use. I got mine at Stop & Shop and they told me they may be getting one more shipment, if so I'll buy then out. lol I might add that they also have it in Cherry and might buy a half dozen bottles of it to try.