Hi Everyone - a newbie here. Can you point me to where I can find out how to backsweeten Apple cider? I just read someplace that I need to add p sorbate and k meta 12 hours apart before I sweeten the cider with Xylitol and corn sugar.
I'm not sure that's right, so any help I can get would be great. Thank you!
Hi Kozzie, as above in the last comment, a couple of your ideas conflict. Of course that is not your fault. Who ever wrote the article that you are reading is not telling it correctly.
I am a serious cider maker although there are times I wonder why, as i also make a lot of fruit wine. Anyway - cider - if you want your cider carbonated then
do not add potassium sorbate. It is the contraceptive of yeast and it's presence would inhibit any carbonation within the bottle - so no fizz , no sparkle. You can add potassium metabisulfite ( k- meta ) if you wish but certainly leave it a couple of days before bottling. Now I suggest you source for yourself some dextrose carbonation drops from your local home brew shop. - for a 330 ml bottle add one drop, for a 500 ml bottle add two drops and for a 750 ml bottle also add two drops. But before you bottle - I would seriously suggest you
do not add products like xylitol or glycerol etc.. as these alternative sugar alcohols have a couple of problems. ( I found out this the hard way a few years back by blindly following a recipe) ..... they impart a very metallic / synthetic flavour to your cider and give you mild diarrhoea. But if you use
erythritol then you won't suffer or taste any falseness.
Please revert if I can help you. Cider and Wine making is such an absorbing hobby. You will learn so much about food, drink and life by reading this forum. Plus you’ll make some really nice drink for Christmas . Salut.