Backsweetening cider/ginger beer with Stevia

[technobabble66]

True that.

But I'm happier with one biologically familiar toxin rather than adding a second biologically unfamiliar one also, for no great reason.

 

[simchop84]

Just added 200g of stevia to 25L in drum after fermentation had finished. Left it sit for another few weeks and fg didn't move so I bottled a few days ago. Seems really good. Ill give it a month or so in the bottle and see how it is. I usually go the lactose option but looking forward to trying some different options.
Cheers

 

[GalBrew]

The one keg of cider I backsweetened with equal brand stevia got dumped due to the foul taste equal brand stevia imparted on the finish of the cider. No one wanted to drink it. Couldn't even force myself to.

FYI I usually use normal equal to sweeten cider.

 

[simchop84]

The one keg of cider I backsweetened with equal brand stevia got dumped due to the foul taste equal brand stevia imparted on the finish of the cider. No one wanted to drink it. Couldn't even force myself to.

FYI I usually use normal equal to sweeten cider.

It tasted really good at time of bottling. Only time will tell I guess.
Cheers

 

[Hyper.Intelligent.Fish]

The one keg of cider I backsweetened with equal brand stevia got dumped due to the foul taste equal brand stevia imparted on the finish of the cider. No one wanted to drink it. Couldn't even force myself to.

FYI I usually use normal equal to sweeten cider.

Can you enlighten us as to ratio of stevia/L you added? I'm interested to see whether your backsweetening ratio is close to mine.

 

[Hyper.Intelligent.Fish]

First results: Apologies if subjective

3 bottles of apple cider, Fermented with Ale Yeast and conditioned in Grolsch swing top bottles (475ml I believe). One bottle left alone, one with 1/2 teaspoon of the splenda stevia and one with 1 teaspoon of the same.

Both backsweetened bottles remarkably reduced the sharpness of the final product which has been bottle conditioning since October 16, with about a week in the fridge. The unsweetened bottle retains that strong "ping" in the back of your throat, but to my mind isn't as strong as my last brew with Champagne yeast. Definitely drinkable alone if you like a dry brew.

Neither of the backsweetened bottles have any harsh, chemical or unpleasant tastes, though neither have come out overly sweet. If I had to choose, I'd say the bottle with 1/2 tsp would be my preference, but the bottle with 1 tsp definitely has a smoother taste.

Based on this I believe that 1-2 teaspoons of the splenda stevia blend per litre is a good place to start if you're experimenting. It'd be interesting to see whether this changes if the stevia is introduced into the fermenter before fermentation. I also should try experimenting with higher amounts of stevia to see it I can get close to a sweet brew before it becomes overpowering.

I still have brews with Champagne Yeast, Bread Yeast and an Apple Blackcurrant with Ale Yeast ready for testing over the next few weeks.

 

[simchop84]

It tasted really good at time of bottling. Only time will tell I guess.
Cheers

Cracked one last night. Very happy with the results. Went down very nicely while cooking the bbq. Wasnt to sweet but wasn't dry either.

Had another brew finish a few days ago. This time I have gone for a combination of lactose and equal sweetener. Had a taste, was very nice. Very similar to just stevia sweetener. Will bottle over the weekend and try in a few weeks.

 

[Didge1]

Hi all - having prowled around the web re sweetening cider (having brewed and drunk a very dry first attempt) I decided to give stevia a try. I bought pure Stevia from a health food store (the granular forms for sweetening coffee etc have fillers in them that add taste). I guessed that a cup of sugar per 23 litres would cut the 'dry' enough for my taste so I added a teaspoon of stevia (equivalent to a cup of sugar). I have just tasted the cider before bottling it and it tastes great. Will update when it has bottle carbonated.

Pure stevia has a slightly cloying sweetness to my taste but that cloyingness is not obvious in the cider.

Cheers.

 

[Mutaneer]

Just adding in my thoughts here,
I've just opened my first batch of Apple Ciders
Recipe is simple, 100% fresh apple juice (currently minimum 50% Jonagold and then a mix of Fuji and Golden Deliscious) and either DV10 or EC1118 yeast.
Simple ferment, racked off for 2-3 weeks then bottle conditioned for 8 weeks

It was extremely, mouth-puckeringly (is that a word.?) dry when it went into the bottle,
I was sure it would need topping up with juice in the glass.
I also cracked on after 3 weeks and the result was fizzy, but still had the very dry taste

But once it had the extra time in the bottle, it has lost all that dryness in the mouth,
it hadn't gained any sugary-sweetness (obviously, carbed only with pure white sugar). but the acidity had smoothed right out so there wasn't any overpowering tang
Just a well balanced clean apple flavour (needs to be warmed to around 8-10 degrees, straight from the fridge was too cold and lacked flavour)
It's very light as far as after-taste and mouthfeel go, so you need to have another swig pretty quickly to keep the flavour in your mouth... a trap being 7% abv..

So conclusion, that time carbing up and mellowing out in the bottle really balances it out

 

[Airgead]

Yep. Cider is more like a wine than a beer. Some aging time gives it time to mellow out and get good.A young cider can be just alike a young wine - all harsh with everything out of balance and puckeringly dry and tannic. Sweeter wines, and ciders, tend to be more drinkable young as the sweetness hides the harshness, not because the harshness isn't there.

 

[Mutaneer]

Good to know,
I've always tried to leave my beers for 3 months before drinking and been trying with the cider aswell, it just gives a much nicer finish to the carbonation, much like a proper Champagne with those very fine bubbles
it's just so hard to resist cracking them until you have a decent stockpile.

I'm actually going to cellar 1 bottle from each batch and try to give them a full 12 months to see how they change (or not) with that larger amount of time.

 

[Seanz]

Back in the ole days

 

[Seanz]

My cider making is so outta date looking thru these methods, I use 2 x 20 ltr buckets and 2 Kg of fruits and water leave for 7-9 days till smells like a hospital and strain and add some lemons and sugar, bottle in next few day's drink 2-3 wks time.

 

[Airgead]

Good Gods man! That's not cider! That's prison hooch!

Seriously.. try a batch with apple juice instead of 2kg fruit and 20l (!?) of water.... you will be amazed.

 

[Mutaneer]

Yeah, doing it this way is what the local Craft producers are charging $10-$20 a pop for a $750ml bottle.
That's why I started doing my own.

For the same $15 I Can get 20L of fresh juice from local orchards

 

[Chookers]

What if you had a sour apple cider, and used Miracle Fruit.. then it would be sweet.. just say "here eat this miracle fruit" and then give them the cider.. Im just thinking out loud here (sorta)

Or

instead of backsweetening.. use a low alc yeast and fortify the cider when its done.. May have been suggested already but I haven't read all the posts..

Stevia is worth experimenting with, I grow it in my garden, has its own green flavour behind the sweetness and the sweetness is without body.. sugar has a fuller mouth feel.. if that makes any sense. but if you get the balance right I think it could work well, but I think some other spice or flavour would be good to hide it in.

 

[nevle]

Nobody seems to have metioned xylitol as a sweetner which l have used in my last couple of brews and seems to be fairly neutral to my taste buds. Any comments?

 

[technobabble66]

Definitely a reasonable option.
I think the reservations may've been that as a sugar alcohol, it has a laxative effect (though in the vicinity of 100g/day, better tolerated than sorbitol and lactose); & that it still won't have the proper "full" flavour/mouthfeel of sugar/dextrose.
I'm not sure I know the flavour/mouthfeel, tbh, but it's possibly as good or better than stevia on the face of it.
Oh, & accessibility. Is it easy to find?
Thanks for raising a good suggestion.

 

[nevle]

My local health food shop stocks it, but i don't know how wide spread that may be.Cost seems a little dearer though.

 

[H0U5ECAT]

Fyi when you do go to the health food shop, make sure you don't ask for sativa instead :/