BrewingBob
Active Member
I don't like recipes or instructions so have predictably messed up.
I have 5 gallons of Asda apple juice concentrate (mostly) with an additional juice of 9 lemons, 5 tea bags worth of very strong tea, Youngs Cider Yeast and a healthy dose of yeast nutrient.
I calculate (roughly) that when dry/fermented out it should be circa 6% ABV.
It fermented almost right out in about 5 days. No frothing - very steady away. Looked fab.
But it's really really tart. No sweetness detectable at all.
I wonder if the citric acid / lemon juice used as a preservative in the apple juice was enough and my 9 lemon addition has made the whole thing too acidic.
I've now added more sugar (by drawing off 2 litres, adding sugar, boiling up, and returning to the brew). It's happily re-started fermenting well.
On tasting I can taste both the new sugar and the old tartness. I'm near certain that this new sugar will also ferment out and leave me with a somewhat stronger, but still rather tart, 5 gallons.
I like a pint I can gulp, not a small glass I can sip. But this is going to be too tart (and too strong if I add more sugar) for gulping.
What can I do to reduce the tartness?
Water it down?
Thank you!
I have 5 gallons of Asda apple juice concentrate (mostly) with an additional juice of 9 lemons, 5 tea bags worth of very strong tea, Youngs Cider Yeast and a healthy dose of yeast nutrient.
I calculate (roughly) that when dry/fermented out it should be circa 6% ABV.
It fermented almost right out in about 5 days. No frothing - very steady away. Looked fab.
But it's really really tart. No sweetness detectable at all.
I wonder if the citric acid / lemon juice used as a preservative in the apple juice was enough and my 9 lemon addition has made the whole thing too acidic.
I've now added more sugar (by drawing off 2 litres, adding sugar, boiling up, and returning to the brew). It's happily re-started fermenting well.
On tasting I can taste both the new sugar and the old tartness. I'm near certain that this new sugar will also ferment out and leave me with a somewhat stronger, but still rather tart, 5 gallons.
I like a pint I can gulp, not a small glass I can sip. But this is going to be too tart (and too strong if I add more sugar) for gulping.
What can I do to reduce the tartness?
Water it down?
Thank you!
