Sweetening TC by stopping fermentation?

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BillyBrewer

Sweetening TC by stopping fermentation?

Post by BillyBrewer » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:37 am

Wine makers stop their fermentations by adding potassium sorbate and campden tablets. Does it work with TC?

Also, has anyone tried any of the glycerin based wine sweeteners with TC?

delboy

Post by delboy » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:54 am

I've done it with a batch of TC, it might have been my imagination but i thought even after treatment that the cider slowly continued to dry out a little. It also had a slight off flavour that could have been just how TC tastes :lol: or may have been down to the treatment. I did what was recommended and used camden and K sorate together to prevent the 'geranium' flavour that K sorbate on its own is supposed to impart.

I've also used a glycerin sweetner to back sweeten a strawberry wine i made. The wine sweetners from what i can see are just an expensive form of aspartamate and glycerin.

If i was doing it again i wouldn't bother stopping the ferment with K sorbate and instead i'd back sweeten but with just a bog standard sweetner (what ever you have about the house). After all its only TC its supposed to be relatively easy and cheap to produce.

Maybe somebody like lockwood (resident wine expert) or some of the other wine makers like HH could shed a little more light on the subject though.

BillyBrewer

Post by BillyBrewer » Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:05 pm

Thanks Del. What gravity did you let it go down to before hitting it with the potassium sorbate?

delboy

Post by delboy » Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:10 pm

BillyBrewer wrote:Thanks Del. What gravity did you let it go down to before hitting it with the potassium sorbate?
It was quite some time ago and i didn't keep any notes, i think let your own taste be the guide on this one (ie keep tasting till you think its just starting to dry out for your tastes and hit it with the sorbate etc).

Best of luck with it.

CyberPaddy66

Post by CyberPaddy66 » Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:54 pm

I let mine clear in the Demijohn fully before bottling and sweetening with more apple juice, Mmmmm lovley flat scrumpy-esk cider

ashbyp

Post by ashbyp » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:45 pm

I have also been wondering about improving the taste of TC. But to be honest, I've had a few bottles now and it's growing on my all the time.

I was considering making my own juice with the juicer we bought for one of the wifes fads but never use. But apple juice is apple juice I guess, although I could experiment with different types of apples i suppose.

ashbyp

Post by ashbyp » Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:14 pm

Here is some info on cider making: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/cider.htm

They suggest stopping fermentation with a Campden tablet only.

BillyBrewer

Post by BillyBrewer » Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:28 pm

I think alcohol will break down any artificial sweeteners, with the exception of Splenda, which is a modified sugar (and very expensive).

Edit: From UK Cider: Aspartame-based sweeteners such as 'Canderel' are non-fermentable, but break down quite quickly when in the presence of alcohol and the sweetening effect is lost within a week or two, so OK for short term serving. Saccharin is the most common and surprisingly widely-used sweetener as this is unaffected by the alcohol, but it is said to adversely affect the taste of the product and it's use is frowned upon. Sugar-based sweeteners like 'Splenda' are also unaffected by alcohol, have no apparent adverse effects upon the taste of the cider and are non-fermentable, so are one route forward if sweetening is your aim.

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