Pear Cider from grocery store juice

[431neb]

I read that stevia can leave a bad aftertaste. Anyone had any experiences with this? I'm happy to use lactose to sweeten but would prefer to not have the extra sugar.
Otherwise I've read to use alcohol sugars (same crap they use in most sugar free lollies).

Anyone know a good place to get Yeasts like 4184 or nottingham? Wanting something that is going to leave some sweetness and save me adding too much after fermentation.

My neighbour and I were talking cider and it turned out he had just chucked a jar of stevia in the bin. I retrieved it and used it in my "Christmas Cheer".

First I tried it in a cup of tea - as per instructions - and it was bloody awful. Super sweet and a bit weird. Think of the aftertaste of pepsi max if you've ever tried it. So I proceeded very carefully and and added an amount that I hoped would be subtle. I put about 11 grams in 23 litres. Don't quote me but I think that is approximately one teaspoon (equivalent to 1 tsp sugar) in a litre. I notice it but most don't. Remember though that these are very unsophisticated palates that I'm farming this out to.

On the topic of lactose. I used it to sweeten an alcoholic lemonade years ago. I needed heaps and it tasted like shit. Many mistakes made on that one though...

PS if anyone is making a kit. Think twice before adding the "cider flavouring" if it's included in your kit, it's probably Potassium something or other.

 

[manticle]

Bribie - Rekordelig is horrible oversweetened syrup. I can't drink it.

I generally avoid ciders that use any fruit other than apple. You being an ex- pom should surely know of some decent ciders?

 

[Deep End]

Was buying some empty bottles the other week, and was given a few bottles of cider made from the apples grown on the farm I was at getting the bottles, a mix of true cider apples and eating apples, 50-50 mix. It was a great drop, but very very sour and appley, which is maybe what true cider should be like? Was a million miles away from anything we'll make from supermarket juice or buy at the bottlo, wish I had some more of it, but alas it didn't last long.

 

[manticle]

'true' cider (or real cider, etc) is varied. Maybe not as diversely varied as beer but certainly not one single taste.

 

[New 2 Brew]

Excuse the ignorance but what's the problem with potassium?

 

[Greg.L]

I have a few batches going at the moment from fresh juice. When the primary is finished they are very sour and dry, not what I like at all. I put the cider through MLF which converts the malic acid to much less sour lactic, the cider is then much less sour but loses some flavour. After a month the flavour comes back and I have a nice cider that tastes good though completely dry. You have to give MLF time to settle but it makes a nice cider. I wouldn't drink a dry cider that hasn't been through MLF.

 

[Deep End]

So how do you induce a malo lactic fermentation?

 

[Greg.L]

You just pitch some MLF culture. You can also try adding some cider that's been through MLF already, will usually work.

 

[Greg.L]

Cheap MLF culture here, you wouldn't need the nutrient for cider.

http://www.anpros.com.au/wine-making-products/anprolac-direct-innoculation-malolatic-cultures/anprolac-culture/

 

[431neb]

Excuse the ignorance but what's the problem with potassium?

Nothing at all. The name escaped me at the time but the stuff in question is probably C4H4KNO4S otherwise known as Acesulfame potassium. Artificial sweeteners are all a bit suspect IMO but this one is really in doubt.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium

 

[New 2 Brew]

Has anyone tried to use a pear essence?
My plan is approx 19L of Cloudy apple Juice, 4L of Pear juice cans, S-04 yeast.

I'm going to bottle so I was planning to use Pear juice to bulk prime and just work it out to use approx 180g of sugar (I'll just work out sugar content off the cans).

I know the yeast will chomp away at my pear sugars and poo out more alcohol so to keep it a bit more pearish would it be worth throwing in one of those 'top shelf pear essences' bottles? Would it even be noticable in 23-25L? I'd put it in after racking the first time, thinking of adding 125g of Lactose for sweetness too.

Are there any other pear extracts or flavourings that are worth looking into?

 

[Weizguy]

I have some Apple/Pear juice from the supermarket. Figured it's gonna turn out better than swill, with the Wyeast Cider yeast