Dry Cider

[Ekdog]

I generally drink my cider after three or four days of fermentation. It's very good, but sweeter than the excellent ciders I've drunk in the Asturias region of Spain. I'd like to make a drier cider, but not one with a much higher alcohol content.

What steps should I take? Longer fermentation? Less sugar? I'm currently using about a cup per liter.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[tophat]

I'm not experienced enough myself to answer your question, but FWIW I have been wondering the same thing. I tend to prefer >5% alcohol in my beverages...I like them for the flavor, not the buzz.

[ezcaps_phpbb3_import2]

I generally drink my cider after three or four days of fermentation. It's very good, but sweeter than the excellent ciders I've drunk in the Asturias region of Spain. I'd like to make a drier cider, but not one with a much higher alcohol content.

What steps should I take? Longer fermentation? Less sugar? I'm currently using about a cup per liter.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

If you extend the fermentation time, you'll get a drier cider. With a higher alcohol content. Sounds like thats not what you are looking for. Try dropping the initial sugar in the recipe by 1/2 cup and ferment until its the flavor you are looking for. If the alcohol content is still too high, reduce sugar more.

[ultraputa]

I don't add any sugar to my cider. Just the apple juice and the yeast.

The common apple juices you can purchase in Spanish supermarkets, have an OG 1.042-1.04 g/l and I use to bottle them around 1 g/l. So the alcohol content is close to 5%. The cider is not sweet.

I use to bottle some cider without primer, so closer to the traditional cider from Asturias, and some of them with primer, closer to the "sidra el gaitero" but not so sweet.