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[Winkydowbrewing]

I am ready to bottle my first Cider. It has been fermenting for just about a year, and definitely no more lees. I would like to have the cider have a mild sparkling wine carbonation to it. Can anyone direct me the best method of this. Priming sugar, measurments etc?Thanks in advance!

[Wayne B]

Well, it is basically the same approach for cider as for beer/ale. To naturally sparkle it, you add enough fermentable sugar, and optionally pitch additional yeast, to get a decent level of carbonation without creating bottle bombs in the process. My basic approach is to use 3/4 cup granulated sugar OR 1 cup honey (they're roughly equivalent in total sugar content), into 5 gallons of cider, or mead, or whatever I want to bottle condition. That generally gives me a nice "champagne-like" sparkle. If you'd like less, add a little less sugar. Additional yeast aren't usually necessary unless you are sure that you've hit or exceeded the ethanol tolerance of the yeast that you pitched to start fermenting in the first place. Even after a year, there's usually enough dormant yeast still in the must that fermentation will re-start. However if your must was completely clear, with absolutely no lees, you might need to re-pitch. If so, then rehydrate and acclimate a pack or two of a good champagne yeast strain (such as Lallemand's EC-1118), and mix that in when you dissolve in the priming sugar. Then bottle, set aside in a nice room-temp location for a month or so, and you should be good to go.

Edited by Wayne B, 21 August 2009 - 12:39 PM.