# Best Sugar To Use When Bottling Cider?



## sugarfree (8/10/12)

Have decided to give brewing cider a try, and my very first batch (using a wetpak apple cider kit) is almost complete (SG: 1007).
I'll be bottling in a mix of bottles - glass and PET, but was wondering what is the best sugar to use for the secondary fermentation?


White sugar
Brown sugar
Raw sugar
Dextrose
Corn Syrup
Honey
Sucrose
Maltose
Malt extract
Demerara
Lactose


With thanks
-Craig


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## tiprya (8/10/12)

Normal sugar is fine - it adds no perceptible flavour. Castor sugar mixes in better due to smaller grains.

Don't use lactose, it doesn't ferment. Honey is hard to judge how much fermentible sugar has been added.

Just buy whatever is cheapest/easiest to get your hands on.


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## JDW81 (8/10/12)

sugarfree said:


> Have decided to give brewing cider a try, and my very first batch (using a wetpak apple cider kit) is almost complete (SG: 1007).
> I'll be bottling in a mix of bottles - glass and PET, but was wondering what is the best sugar to use for the secondary fermentation?
> 
> 
> ...



I've used white sugar and brown. The brown gave the cider a nice colour and a bit more depth of flavour.


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## yum beer (8/10/12)

I use fresh apple juice, just calculate from nutrition info on back how much you need for the amount of sugar you are after and add stright to your batch then bottle.


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## sugarfree (8/10/12)

yum beer said:


> I use fresh apple juice, just calculate from nutrition info on back how much you need for the amount of sugar you are after and add stright to your batch then bottle.


Hadn't thought of that 
Rather than adding say to the whole batch... i could add a squirt to each bottle... but how much would one add? (5ml, 10ml?..... kaboom?)


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## hazard (8/10/12)

sugarfree said:


> Hadn't thought of that
> Rather than adding say to the whole batch... i could add a squirt to each bottle... but how much would one add? (5ml, 10ml?..... kaboom?)



It would be easier if you bulk prime. Say you wanted 200gms of sugar, then that would be about 2L (about 100gms sugar per litre of juice - but check the label to confirm, as noted by yum beer) of juice into your bottling bucket, then bottle.

If you want to bottle first then it might be about 3 to 4 gm sugar in each bottle - about 30 or 40 mL of juice - you would need more head room in each bottle to take the additional volume.


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## grantsglutenfreehomebrew (9/10/12)

Prime with a nice fresh apple juice. So much better flavour. Or even try treacle. Leaves a nice residual sweetness as well.


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## sugarfree (9/10/12)

grantsglutenfreehomebrew said:


> Or even try treacle. Leaves a nice residual sweetness as well.


Hmm sounds yummy... how much treacle per say 750ml?


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## Malted (9/10/12)

Anyone else think it amusing that 'sugarfree' is asking about using sugar?


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## sugarfree (9/10/12)

Malted said:


> Anyone else think it amusing that 'sugarfree' is asking about using sugar?


 :chug:


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## Jeff_beazley (10/10/12)

Good idea Yum Beer!

I'm just about ready to bottle some apple/pineapple cider I've been brewing and think I may use this method instead of the usual sugar priming.

Does this method add any sweetness to the final product? My current batch is a bit dry, so was hoping to sweeten it up a bit.

Cheers,

Jeff


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