Cider question

[BigBry68]

I am thinking about making a cider and have read that often the yeast ferments to a very dry finish.  I was thinking about adding a can or 2 of frozen concentrate just before bottling to get the the taste to a palatable sweetness.

My question is:  If I add that large of a sweetener at bottling will it over carbonate and become a bomb?  If so what recommendations are there for keeping a desirable sweetness?

Thanks

[Brewmex41]

Kegging or still cider Haha.
I used lactose sugar once. Came out great, but it was also a 1 gallon batch of amber ale topped off with 4gallons Apple juice.

[Tress]

I wouldn't take the chance 'cause the mess it would create wouldn't be worth it.

When I make my cider, after fermentation is complete (~1.000 SG) I add 4 g Potassium Sorbate to help prevent any further fermentation (you can get this at your LHBS.)  I then add at 2 cans of apple juice concentrate to make my ciders with a medium sweetness (~1.010 SG).  Add more concentrate to your taste.

Hope this helps.

[Maine Homebrewer]

If I add that large of a sweetener at bottling will it over carbonate and become a bomb?

Yes.

If so what recommendations are there for keeping a desirable sweetness?

As Tress said, you can use Potassium Sorbate to stop the yeast from reproducing, and then sweeten. If you bottle it will be still (uncarbonated). If you have keg technology you can force carbonate at this point. That is my plan for my next batch of cider.

Another option that I've read about, but not tried, is to sweeten to taste, bottle, and then pasteurize. You wait a week after bottling, then open one. If it isn't quite carbonated enough, you wait a day or two and open another. Keep doing this until you've reached desired carbonation, then you pasteurize. Basically you heat the bottles in a water bath on the stove until they reach a temperature that will ensure nothing in there ever grows again, but not so hot as to significantly change the flavor. You'd have to google up the details. It looks like a hassle to me. 

[captjpr3]

My dad grew cider apples when I was a kid. We would let gallon jugs sit at room temp until it started bubbling from the wild yeast on the fruit then put it in the fridge. it would continue to fizz slowly for weeks. dad always had to remind us to not tighten the cap. It was ambrosia. I've tried to re create it with commercially purchased apple juice but dads mystical blend of heirloom cider apples just cant be matched so I've given up. I've just started to think about trying again with my new found experience with brewing. I need to find out what to use to kill the wild yeast without boiling, as winemakers do. Then I think I'll add a warm temp ale yeast and bottle it. I'm thinking if I put it in the fridge as soon as it carbonates it should stop fermenting and retain the sweetness and bubbles. I do this with rootbeer I make with cane sugar and it works great. It does seem to continue fermenting VERY slowly. I lost a bottle in the back of the fridge for a year once. when I opened it, it was over carbonated and had no sweetness whatsoever. I think I can achieve the same thing with cider, as long as I don't let it sit in the fridge for a year, it should be great

[Maine Homebrewer]

I need to find out what to use to kill the wild yeast without boiling, as winemakers do.

Campden tablets (potassium or sodium metabisulfite). Available at most homebrewing shops.