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Cyser - Too sweet for my taste

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maxmurder

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 23, 2012
63
0
0
Bethlehem, Pa.
Hi,

I'm just starting to get back into mead making, which I haven't done for a few years. And a few years ago, I wasn't a pro yet either. So I decided to start with four different one gallon batches.

So, one of my batches is a cyser. It came out way sweeter than I had hoped. I'm a fan of drier meads and wines. This has been racked and is done with primary fermentation and I'd like to try to make it less sweet.

Here is the recipe I used (again, it's been a while, and I'm quite the amateur):

August 5th, 2017

  • 3 Liters of Martinelli's Pure Cider
  • 2 LB Sandt's alfalfa raw honey
  • 1 pack Fleischman's yeast
  • 3/4 LB clover honey
  • 1.5 liter cider warmed slightly on stove
  • added honey
  • stirred to dissolve
  • added to carboy
  • added another 1.5 of cooled cider to top off
  • added raisin
  • 80 degrees
  • added yeast
  • shook carboy to mix
  • OG: 1.140





September 5th:
Fermentation stopped @ 1.035 gravity

Is there any way to restart fermentation?
It's not bad, but I would just prefer it drier.

Thanks in advance.
 

darigoni

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Jun 4, 2016
945
63
28
Brookline, NH
Hi Max!

Looking at your OG and final SG. That looks about right for bread yeast. You could try using a more aggressive yeast, like EC1118, which theoretically could bring it all the way down to 1.000 (or less), but that would probably require you treating the yeast properly at the start (proper rehydration) and tempering it (slowly adding a little of the Cyser at a time, while the yeast acclimated and came up to speed).

I wonder if it would just be easier to make another batch of Cyser and blend the two? Which is probably what I would do.....
 

maxmurder

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 23, 2012
63
0
0
Bethlehem, Pa.
Hi Darigoni,

Thanks for the quick reply! If I was smart, I would've started with a more aggressive yeast. But I was also thinking doing a starter with an aggressive yeast. The blending idea might be a better idea though, since it's just gallon batches.

Thanks for the suggestions!
 

darigoni

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Jun 4, 2016
945
63
28
Brookline, NH
Not much difference between doing a starter and making a second batch.

Of course, unless you stabilized both batches, blending in a second batch might cause the whole thing to ferment down to 1.000 (or less). :)
 

MrCyphyr

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 23, 2017
56
1
0
Londonderry, NH
Though a newbee me self, when I look at the recipe, I see about 3+lbs of honey for 1 gallon, plus the cider and raisins - I might suggest reducing to 2 lbs per gallon, probably an OG around 1.30
 

maxmurder

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 23, 2012
63
0
0
Bethlehem, Pa.
Squatchy,
True. It was one of them 'I feel like making a gallon of cyser' nights, after the brew store was closed. Blame the short attention span haha
 
Last edited:

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
5,542
261
83
Denver
Squatchy,
True. It was one of them 'I feel like making a gallon of cyser' nights, after the brew store was closed. Blame the short attention span haha

In a pinch you can always boil a little water. Add a couple packets of Fleischmann's bread yeast into the water . Pitch into your must once it cools down. :)
 
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