Sugar to use for Cider ?

:> Why not just use dextrose ? :>

: :The best sugar to use is the naturally occurring sugar in the cider, i.e., :you don't need to add any, but if you do, dextrose will pump up the alcohol :without wrecking the flavor. I made a cider a couple of years ago with 3 :gallons of pure cider plus 2.5 pounds of corn sugar.... whoops! I mean, it :tastes just wonderful, however it tastes a heck of a lot like ethanol... :since it is 11% alcohol by volume!!! If I had just used the cider itself, I :probably would have ended up with the usual 4 or 5% alcohol. Next time I'll :get it right....

well the kit i have says throw in a kilo of sugar . . hey who am I to argue with such wisdom. i think scrumpy jack rates about that high and I JUST LOVE scrumpy jack. i ain't looking forward to all that sugar in me hangovers but. i better use the hydrometer properly this time because the sugar's already gone into the wort . . . ooops. : :-- :Dave :"Just a drink, a little drink, and I'll be feeling GOOooOOooOOooD!" -- :Genesis, 1973-ish : :

The best sugar to use is the naturally occurring sugar in the cider, i.e., you don't need to add any, but if you do, dextrose will pump up the alcohol without wrecking the flavor. I made a cider a couple of years ago with 3 gallons of pure cider plus 2.5 pounds of corn sugar.... whoops! I mean, it tastes just wonderful, however it tastes a heck of a lot like ethanol... since it is 11% alcohol by volume!!! If I had just used the cider itself, I probably would have ended up with the usual 4 or 5% alcohol. Next time I'll get it right....

-- Dave "Just a drink, a little drink, and I'll be feeling GOOooOOooOOooD!" -- Genesis, 1973-ish

If you want a better tasting cider use some frozen apple juice concentrate (without preservatives like potassium sorbate) in addition to your juice or pressed cider. The extra sugar in the concentrate will bump up the alcohol content AND since it's just condensed apple juice it will add flavor. I know some brewers who use honey and I've used grade B maple syrup with a little brown sugar to give a little color to my cider. The only downside to honey and maple syrup is a longer fermentation. The upside is an extra little something for the drinker to enjoy.

I probably wouldn't add pure sucrose to the cider unless I was fermenting a really high quality "thick" juice. You could add some dextrose, but go sparingly. I used a little too much brown sugar once and it took about a year for the taste to mellow to something I enjoyed.