Apple Picking Time!

[MurCurY]

Here in Massachusetts apples are starting to get into full swing. Cider is cheap, and I can get it pasteurized (from the wholefoods) or cold pressed from the farm itself.

Also, honey's at a reasonable price at the moment too. I have a few lbs in a gallon i bought last season i'd like to use up.

I started one batch, I'd like some input from here on the second batch. The first was...

1 gallon pasturized cider, no preservatives
1 tsp yeast nutrient
2 lbs of blackberry blossom honey
1 package of Lalvin EC-1118

Originally I wanted to make a bubbly hard cider for halloween. I mixed my ingredients and measured the sugar content with my hydrometer. Measured out at 1.111, approx alcohol content 15%. I'd like it to stop at around 8-10 so it's still sweet. How would I stop it, and still have it be sweet and bubbly?

 

[Tsuchi]

If you want to stop it at 8-10 percent. I would recomend you add only enough honey to get it there and when the fermentation is finished to dry then add enough honey/sugars to prime and bottle.

However as i understand it you can't have a 'sweet' mead that is carbonated unless you are injecting the co2 artificialy...If you leave sugars beyond those needed to prime the yeasts will simply fement untill it is dry or the bottle explodes under the pressure. I supopose you could refridgerate to yeast to sleep but it would take up a LOT of space be hard to measure as when you opened the bottles to test for sg i imagine that you'd let a fair bit of co2 out.


As for prining, I found an amount referance from 'byathread' about a year ago from a beer thread....

"I have used honey for priming beer before. Usually 1/2-2/3 cup of honey will substitute for 3/4 corn sugar per 5gal which is pretty standard for most beers. "


Hope it goes well I'm a cyser lover myself I have a 6 gal batch that I plan on making sparkling when it's done.


Tsuchi

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Your EC-1118 should ferment the must dry and maybe then some unless you hit it with cold or chemicals when it reaches your desired sweetness/alcohol level.

I don't know much about bubbly other than if you bottle it right after you stop it, before the must has time to have the gas bubble out, you get some carbonation.

If you cold shock it to stop it, the fermentation may start back up once you bottle it and it warms up. This would give you your carbonation and the possibility of bottle bombs, so be careful!