Bulldog Sweet Cider Yeast

[Consett26]

I recently produced a batch of 20l turbo cider using Bulldog Sweet Cider Yeast and was surprised by how sweet it tasted at the end of fermentation (FG was 1.000). SWMBO was very pleased with it so I'm going to make it again. In fact, I'm going to make two batches, one after the other by simply adding more apple juice to the fermenter after I've racked the first lot into the keg. But there's a bit of a problem with that: I don't know how the sweetness gets into the cider or what form it takes. I'm guessing some of the 11g in the packet of yeast is some form of sweetener but I've no idea what, or how much. It might not even be that, although, if not, I don't see where the sweetness comes from when all the sugar has been fermented away. Does any one know if the packet contains sweetener, and, if so, how much sweetener there is and what it is?

(I can always have a bit of an experiment with sweeteners after fermentation has finished the second time, but thought I'd ask the question in case anyone knows the answer.)

 

[johncrobinson]

Nope there is no sweetener in yeast packets

Or at least there shouldn't be.
some sugars are sweet but not ferment-able
An fg of 1.000 means there are still some unfermented sugar.

Welcome to the forum
Are you in Consett. ????
If so that's where i was born.

 

[Appleyard]

I recently produced a batch of 20l turbo cider using Bulldog Sweet Cider Yeast and was surprised by how sweet it tasted at the end of fermentation (FG was 1.000). SWMBO was very pleased with it so I'm going to make it again. In fact, I'm going to make two batches, one after the other by simply adding more apple juice to the fermenter after I've racked the first lot into the keg. But there's a bit of a problem with that: I don't know how the sweetness gets into the cider or what form it takes. I'm guessing some of the 11g in the packet of yeast is some form of sweetener but I've no idea what, or how much. It might not even be that, although, if not, I don't see where the sweetness comes from when all the sugar has been fermented away. Does any one know if the packet contains sweetener, and, if so, how much sweetener there is and what it is?

(I can always have a bit of an experiment with sweeteners after fermentation has finished the second time, but thought I'd ask the question in case anyone knows the answer.)

It might be a good time to e-mail [email protected], and ask the question :)

 

[Consett26]

Nope there is no sweetener in yeast packets

Or at least there shouldn't be.
some sugars are sweet but not ferment-able
An fg of 1.000 means there are still some unfermented sugar.

Welcome to the forum
Are you in Consett. ????
If so that's where i was born.

I had a look at the contents of the packet before I pitched it and there seemed to be a crystalline powder mixed in with the yeast. It would explain why the medium cider yeast contains 10g but the sweet has11g.

I was in Consett until about six months ago. I'm in Newcastle now. When did you leave? If it was a while ago I doubt you'd recognise the place now

 

[Consett26]

It might be a good time to e-mail [email protected], and ask the question :)

Email sent

 

[Graz]

Nope there is no sweetener in yeast packets

Or at least there shouldn't be.
some sugars are sweet but not ferment-able
An fg of 1.000 means there are still some unfermented sugar.

Welcome to the forum
Are you in Consett. ????
If so that's where i was born.

Wrong I'm afraid. These sweet cider yeasts are exactly that yeast + artificial sweetener that doesn't get fermented so provides sweetness to the end product.

So to @Consett26 's question, nothing wrong with chucking some more juice onto the yeast used for the previous batch but all the sweetener will be in the first batch so this time it will turn out dry. As suggested though you can add your own sweetener to taste (e.g. Canderel) after fermentation is over, just don't go adding ordinary sugar thinking that will sweeten it as it will just ferment. What I do is either add some cordial (if I want it flavoured) or simple sugar syrup to it when serving that way I can have mine dry whereas the missus prefers it sweeter.

 

[Appleyard]

Email sent

@Consett26 Bother. It will bounce. Sorry, I have mish-triped that, it should be:

[email protected]

 

[Consett26]

@Consett26 Bother. It will bounce. Sorry, I have mish-triped that, it should be:

[email protected]

It did, so I rang and a very helpful lady has gone away to find the answer to the question.

 

[Consett26]

And she's got back to me. The sweetener is acesulsame but they didn't want to tell me how much was in the packet. It probably doesn't matter because it doesn't appear to be retailed and I don't want to be importing industrial quantities from China.

So I guess the question now is which sweetener has least bitterness/after taste, and how much for a 23 litre batch?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

And she's got back to me. The sweetener is acesulsame

Acesulfame with an F, aka E950. I was going to say, there's confirmation they're using a yeast blended with sweetener in the instructions here.

Since all the other Bulldog yeasts seem to mirror Mangrove Jacks, one has to assume that the yeast is their M02 Cider Yeast, which actually has a pretty good reputation as one of the better cider yeasts out there. For sweet cider you want a fairly characterful fruity yeast.

There's no perfect option for sweeteners, a lot comes down to personal taste and sensitivities. Sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol are generally regarded as the best-tasting sweetener, but they give some people the squits and is toxic to dogs. Although marketed as stevia, Truvia is actually mostly erythritol.

As for stevia, aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) they all have their fans and people who can't bear the taste, it's a pretty personal thing.

But I'd try xylitol or erythritol first.

 

[Consett26]

Thanks. I've now managed to find a shop selling Acesulfame: Acesulphame K Sweetener 70g

Whether the yeast is M02 or not I was very impressed with it, although I was initially a bit concerned at the way the head kept collapsing into the apple juice then reforming, but the results were impressive. Just one thing though: I kegged a batch on 12/01 and also filled a 2 litre PET bottle at the same time. The cider in the bottle is crystal clear and has been for 3 or 4 days now but the cider in the keg is still densely turbid. I know 17 days does seem to be a bit on the quick side for it to drop bright but how much longer should I expect to wait?

 

[Frogbrew]

i use the bulldog cider yeast (unsweetened version) and just add 1 sweetener tab per ltr, works well for me. I add to my teabag tannin mix.

 

[johncrobinson]

Ok you guys have proven me wrong in this instance
But surely it should be a case of the yeast the whole yeast and nothing but the yeast